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Union Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah strongly criticized the Congress party during a heated debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha. He accused Congress-era parliamentary committees of simply rubber-stamping decisions rather than making thoughtful contributions to legislation.
“The Cabinet approved a Bill and introduced it in Parliament. It was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, as the opposition wanted. The committee took a call on it, and its recommendations went to the Cabinet. Kiren Rijiju ji is bringing its recommendations to the House. Our committees use their brain, unlike committees in the Congress times that just gave their stamp of approval,” Shah stated while addressing the House.
His remarks were aimed at highlighting what he described as a more thorough and intellectual approach by the BJP-led government in handling legislative matters compared to the previous Congress administrations.
Opposition Challenges the Legality of Amendments
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament, has sparked strong opposition from some political leaders.
RSP MP NK Premchandran from Kerala raised objections, arguing that the parliamentary committee did not have the right to introduce amendments to the bill, as had been done in this case.
“The committee has no right to make amendments to the Bill, which has been done in this case (Waqf Bill),” Premchandran said, questioning the legitimacy of the changes made.
Lok Sabha Speaker Defends Committee’s Powers
In response to Premchandran’s claim, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla dismissed the argument, asserting that parliamentary committees have full authority to amend bills before presenting them for approval.
“The committee has the right to make amendments to a Bill. It can even change the name of a Bill. It can bring new provisions to a Bill. Many joint committees in the past have made such amendments to Bills,” Speaker Om Birla clarified.
His response reinforced the legitimacy of the committee’s decision to modify the Waqf Bill, affirming that such actions were not only within the rules but had also been a common practice in previous legislative processes.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill has become a subject of intense political debate, with the BJP defending its necessity and opposition parties questioning its implications. While Amit Shah and his party argue that the bill has been carefully considered and thoroughly reviewed by experts, the opposition maintains that the amendments made should have been put to a wider discussion before implementation.
