A parliamentary panel reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has received an overwhelming 12 million email responses amid competing campaigns to influence support for the draft legislation.
The Joint Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, chaired by BJP leader Jagadambika Pal, has also collected 75,000 detailed responses accompanied by supporting documents. To manage this influx, the committee has requested additional staff from the Lok Sabha Secretariat. “We’ve deployed 15 extra personnel to categorize and document the email responses,” a source revealed.
Radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has encouraged his followers to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill by sending feedback to the parliamentary panel, sparking a counter-response from various Hindu groups advocating for the bill.
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Last month, the committee invited written suggestions from the public, NGOs, experts, and stakeholders regarding the bill. They provided contact information for submissions, emphasizing the importance of community input.
Additionally, the committee will undertake a five-city tour starting September 26 to gather feedback from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru.
These consultations aim to explore crucial aspects of the Waqf Amendment Bill, including digitization of records, enhanced auditing processes, legal measures for addressing encroachments, and the decentralization of Waqf management. The nationwide outreach seeks to ensure a comprehensive approach to reforming the Waqf Act.
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