The JD(U) supported the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and said that its objective is to bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf Board and has nothing against the Muslims.
JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh came out in its defense, saying that the proposed amendments had nothing discriminatory against any single community. "People are saying it is anti-Muslim, which is not true. The Ayodhya comparison is completely misplaced, as one is a temple and the other a regulatory institution. The government is not interfering with mosque affairs; what it wants is transparency in the institution," Singh said.
He further explained, "The Waqf Board was created by legislation. Any institution created by law can become autocratic" and added, "The function of the government is to usher in steps which would lead to transparency".
Singh also took a dig at the Congress and asked, "Who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Sikhs?" in connection with the 1984 riots about the latter's claim that the Bill encourages communal tension.
He praised the government for its efforts at reforming, saying, "It is the duty of the government to introduce reforms when there is misuse of power."
Earlier in the day, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju presented the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
On the other hand, Congress leader KC Venugopal expressed sharp dissent and called the Bill an assault on the Constitution. Venugopal said the Bill contravened Article 26 of the Constitution, which guaranteed that "every religious denomination or any section thereof shall have the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes and to own and acquire movable and immovable property and to administer the property in accordance with law.".
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