GURGAON: Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will be passed in the winter session of Parliament, setting the stage for a potential showdown with the opposition both inside and outside the House.
“Waqf board law… we will fix it in the next session of Parliament,” Shah said while addressing an election meeting in Badshahpur in Gurgaon.
Shah’s declaration came even as opposition parties remain stridently ranged against the waqf bill, claiming that it was based on unfounded fears of existing waqf boards and was unnecessary.They also claimed that it amounted to interference with the constitutionally mandated religious rights granted to minorities.
Govt has denied the charges and argued that the bill was intended to bring transparency in the functioning of waqf authorities and check their arbitrary powers.
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) headed by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal is scrutinising the bill. Deliberations of the panel have been marred by multiple clashes with opposition members duelling with those of BJP. Many eyebrows were raised when the JPC received 1.25 crore mails on the bill, which led senior BJP MP and JPC member Nishikant Dubey to allege a plot to derail the legislation. He has urged the home ministry to order a probe.
Shah, who addressed three rallies in Haryana on Sunday, also said 5 lakh youths from the state would get govt jobs with a provision for pension over the next five years if BJP continued in office for a third term.
He reiterated his promise of “pakki pension wali sarkari naukri (govt jobs with pension) for Agniveers after they completed their four-year stint in the armed forces. On Friday in Rewari, which has strong links with the Army, Shah had said both central and state govts had made provisions to absorb Agniveers in various sectors after they completed their tenure.
“We will provide jobs to 5 lakh youths without any parchi and kharchi. Congress candidates are talking about the quota system in jobs. They don’t believe in merit, we do,” he told the gathering.
Jobs have been a recurrent issue in the run-up to assembly elections. Most candidates have made promises regarding jobs in their campaign speeches. Congress, in its manifesto, has promised 2 lakh jobs if it comes to office.
Like his campaign in Rewari, Shah once again dubbed Rahul Gandhi a “lie machine” and accused Congress of spreading misinformation about the Agnipath. “The scheme was brought to keep the Army young,” Shah said. He described Congress as a party of “dalal, dealer and damaad”. “During Congress rule, the party worked for only one district and a particular community. In Gurgaon, Cong destroyed hundreds of acres to make Delhi’s damaad rich,” he said.