Srinagar:

JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, the two BJP allies in the current NDA government, are on board over the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in Srinagar on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar regarding Budget 2025-26, Rijiju claimed that many Muslim MPs also support the bill. "Even Muslim MPs are also okay with and they have privately expressed to me their support for the bill," Rijiju said.

He claimed that his ministry has received representation from the Muslim community on the amendment. "The bill will ensure transparency in the properties of Waqf and benefit the community," he said.

On January 30, the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted the report by a majority vote and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal had redacted parts of the dissent notes contending that they cast aspersions on the parliamentary panel.

The report was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday (Feb 13) with the Lok Sabha speaker allowing the submission of dissent notes in entirety as demanded by the opposition and Home Minister Amit Shah asserting the BJP had no objection to it.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed stormy scenes with opposition members trooping to the Wells of the respective Houses protesting against the "undemocratic" action of the committee chairman.

The Rajya Sabha also witnessed chaos as Rijiju, who is also Parliamentary Affairs Minister, rejected the allegations by opposition MPs led by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that dissent notes were deleted from the report.

Congress member Syed Nasir Hussain accused Rijiju of misleading the House. "My own dissent note has been redacted," Hussain said. Later at a press conference in Parliament House complex, the Parliamentary Affairs minister said when the report was tabled in Rajya Sabha, some opposition MPs raised objections and claimed their dissent notes had been taken out.

Read More:

New Zero-Threshold Raman Laser Holds Promise For Advanced Quantum Technologies

New Zero-Threshold Raman Laser Holds Promise For Advanced Quantum Technologies