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Informist, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Budget session of Parliament adjourned for a recess till March 10 on Thursday. Before the adjournment, the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill was tabled in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha amid protests by the opposition parties.

 

The opposition parties objected to the removal of dissent notes from the report. The members of the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam entered into the well of the Rajya Sabha to protest against the report.

 

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said many committee members gave dissent notes but they have been removed from the report. "The views of many members were bulldozed. This is anti-democratic. The notes of outsiders were taken into the report. This report is completely a farce and it should be sent back. The house should accept it only after the dissent notes are added," Kharge said.

 

In response to Kharge's remarks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that no part of the report was removed. He said all dissent notes are attached to the report and placed in the house.

 

However, the opposition members alleged that the minister was misleading the house. The opposition parties also staged a symbolic walkout in the Rajya Sabha. Both the houses also witnessed unscheduled adjournments during the day over the report and the controversy regarding the alleged relaxation of national security protocols along the Pakistan border to make way for a renewable energy park project awarded to the Adani group in Gujarat.

 

The Joint Parliamentary Committee, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha member Jagdambika Pal, adopted the report on the bill with a majority vote on Jan. 29 after adopting proposals suggested by members from the National Democratic Alliance alone.

 

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which the government introduced in the Lok Sabha in August, aims to amend the law that governs properties donated by Muslims. The government had said that the bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act for "effective management" of assets and administration of Waqf properties. 

 

Waqf is a charitable or religious donation made by Muslims for the benefit of the community. The Waqf Act governs properties, which include mosques and madrassas.

 

The Budget session Parliament commenced on Jan. 31 with President Droupadi Murmu's joint address to both houses. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for 2025-26 (Apr-Mar) on Feb. 1. Following that, both houses discussed the motion of thanks on the president's address and the Union Budget. Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied in both houses on the motion thanks while the finance minister replied on the Budget.

 

During the first phase of the session, the government also introduced the Income Tax Bill in the Lok Sabha. The finance minister has moved a motion to refer the bill to a select committee of the Lok Sabha for wider scrutiny of the legislation. The committee will submit its report on the bill by the first day of the Monsoon session.

 

During the recess, the standing committees associated with various departments will examine the demands for grants and submit reports relating to their ministries. The Budget will be voted on in the second part of the session. The Budget session will conclude on April 4. End

 

Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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