New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): Union Minister Giriraj Singh spoke about the Waqf Amendment Bill on Tuesday. He said that the government will table the Waqf Amendment Bill like any other bill and assured that no legislation is introduced against the Constitution.
Speaking to media reporters, Singh said, “The government tables every bill; it will do the same with the Waqf Amendment Bill. Congress should understand that no bill is brought in the Parliament against the constitution.”
Earlier, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju highlighted the need for an informed and constructive discussion on the bill, urging all parties to participate in the legislative debate.
“My appeal to all is that as we prepare to introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, we must participate in the debate and discussion in the House. Outside Parliament, there have been a record number of consultations and deliberations. The JPC has gone on record for the most comprehensive consultation process and the highest representation ever in the history of democratic India,” he said.
Rijju added, “Now that the Bill is ready, I would like to request all political parties to participate in it and put their views on the floor of Parliament. Please do not mislead. Some people are saying that this Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional. Waqf rules have been in existence since before independence… All these provisions are already in existence. If the Waqf Act has been in existence since before independence, then how can it be illegal? Innocent Muslims are being told and misled by saying that the government is going to snatch the properties and rights of the Muslims.”
“The false things being spread by some people are very harmful to our society and nation. I would like to request everyone to please identify those leaders who are lying. These are the people who misguided the country during CAA… I am very proud to say that minorities are the safest in India, and minorities enjoy the best rights of freedom in India,” Rijju asserted. 
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh strongly opposed the bill, calling it a “direct attack on the Constitution.”
“Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a direct attack on the constitution and against its foundation… Every opposition party opposes it, but the question is, what is the take of ‘secular’ parties JD(U) and TDP?… It was for the first time that clause-by-clause discussion was done in the committee… If they implement it, we will oppose it democratically,” Ramesh said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said last week that the Waqf Amendment Bill will be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament. The Budget session is slated to conclude on April 4.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also called the ‘Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill’ aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. (ANI)
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