1 day Ago By TOI News Desk
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu NEW DELHI: Chandrababu Naidu 's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally of the NDA government at the Centre, has announced support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill ending days of speculation on the legislation which several opposition parties and Muslim organisations are opposing calling it unconstitutional and against the interests of the community. "The whole Muslim community is waiting for the Waqf Amendment Bill to be tabled. Our party will support it.
Chandrababu Naidu has already mentioned that we will work in interests of the Muslim community. Tomorrow, the bill will be tabled, only then we will make any comments on it. I assure you that Chandrababu Naidu is in favour of Muslims," TDP national spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also called the 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill', will be tabled in Lok Sabha tomorrow. The Bill aims to address key challenges in the management of Waqf properties by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. For the BJP, which lacks majority in Lok Sabha, TDP's strong backing comes as a big boost to its effort to get the Bill passed in the Budget session.
The BJP asserts that the Bill will benefit the poor Muslims. Shouldn't be implemented with retrospective effect: JD(U) Another key ally of the BJP, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has demanded that the bill should not implemented with retrospective effect and hoped that the government would consider it. "Nitish Kumar has been working in Bihar for the last 19 years.
During this time, the work he has done for the Muslim community is also visible. Our party had said that it should not be implemented with retrospective effect, and we hope that the government will consider it..
. As long as Nitish Kumar is in politics, the interests of the people will be protected," JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha said. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on April 2 (Wednesday) soon after the Question Hour and will be followed by a comprehensive and detailed discussion extending up to eight hours, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday.
"Some members wanted six hours, others wanted four hours. However, the Opposition demanded 12 hours for the discussion, but a broad consensus was reached for an eight-hour-long discussion on the bill," the minister for minority affairs said. "Depending on the sense of the House, the Speaker could take the decision to extend it as well," he added.
Kiren Rijiju had earlier briefed BJP spokespersons on the Waqf Amendment Bill at the party's headquarters yesterday. During the meeting, Rijiju presented a detailed overview of the bill, highlighting its benefits for the Muslim community. Rijiju asserted that the bill doesn't interfere with religious institutions' freedom and is designed to give rights to those who previously lacked them.
The bill aims to reform Waqf management, enhancing transparency and digitization. (With inputs from agencies).
