The 543-member Lok Sabha has 293 members from the National Democratic Alliance which is over 20 votes high than the required margin of 272 for the bill to be passed.
The controversial Waqf Amendment Bill was tabled in Lok Sabha on Wednesday for consideration and passage amid heavy backlash from Muslim bodies and Opposition parties who are protesting against the bill. Despite the opposition INDIA bloc strategising to stop the bill from being passed, the numbers indicate that the NDA backed majority might not let that happen.
The 543-member Lok Sabha has 293 members from the National Democratic Alliance which is over 20 votes high than the required margin of 272 for the bill to be passed.
The INDIA bloc along with other Opposition parties who have publicly confirmed to vote against the proposed bill might come up to a total of 241, according to the Indian Express.
AIMIM, YSRCP, BJD and Aazad Samaj Party are not part of INDIA but have announced opposition to the Bill.
BJP - 240 MPs
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) - 16 MPs
Janata Dal (United) - 12 MPs
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) - 5 MPs
Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena - 7 MPs
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and JanaSena Party (JSP), with 2 MPs each; and the NCP, Apna Dal, Hindustani Awam Morcha, All Jharkhand Students’ Union and Northeast parties AGP, UPPL and SKM have one MP each.
Congress - 99 MPs
Samajwadi Party - 37 MPs
Trinamool Congress - 28 MPs
DMK - 22 MPs
Shiv Sena-UBT - 9 MPs
NCP-SP - 8 MPs
CPI-M - 4 MPs
RJD - 4 MPs
Aam Aadmi Party, JMM and IUML have three each and J-K National Conference has 2 MPs. There are 13 other MPs who have opposed the bill including non-aligned parties the AIMIM and Aazad Samaj Party who have 1 MP each and the YSRCP with 4 MPs.
Also Read | NDA Parties Including TDP, Jan Sena Support Waqf, Ask Lok Sabha MPs to Participate In Voting
According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf Boards reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.
A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.
The Bill also proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.
Also, women must receive their inheritance before Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.
The Bill also proposes that an officer above the rank of collector will investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.
In case of disputes, the senior government official will have the final say on whether a property belongs to Waqf or the government. This replaces the existing system where such decisions are made by Waqf tribunals.
The Bill also proposes that non-Muslim members will be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.
Samajwadi Party President and MP Akhilesh Yadav ,“Our party will oppose this bill. What could be a greater injustice than not giving importance to the voices of those for whom this bill is being introduced?” He added, “BJP repeatedly brings such bills to hide its failures. We have seen what administrative officers were doing in Sambhal... To cover up its shortcomings, BJP keeps introducing such bills. This time, the Waqf Bill is being used as a smokescreen for their failures.”
Sajya Sabha MP and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Kapil Sibal said, “Today, the ruling party has decided to present and pass the Waqf Bill in the Lok Sabha. Reform is necessary in every religion, and reform is a good thing. But what is the intent behind this? Since 2014, we have seen that a particular religious community is being targeted.”
Congress MP Imran Masood said, “This is a complete overlap and violation of Articles 14, 16, 25, and 26 of the Constitution... A spectacle has been created across the country. What exactly is included in the newly added Section 3C of the Waqf Act?”
Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan said, "Waqf Bill has been brought with an intention to make inappropriate interference in the religious matters of Muslims. All the Opposition parties are one platform against this Bill. This is an illegal Bill. The way the amendments of Opposition parties were bulldozed is not a good precedent. We hope that the allies of BJP who are normally worried about their secular credentials would not go with the BJP in this matter."
RJD leader Manoj Jha said, "The hurry of the government is to defy constitutional values, we will expose it in discussion in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as well tomorrow. During the farmers movement, we had requested with a folded hand, they had to withdraw. Nothing is in control of Nitish Kumar, 'vinash kale viprit buddhi'."
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “I want to alert and caution the people of this country. The sin and crime that BJP is about to commit today will not stop here. Next, there will be bills to take over Gurudwara, Church, Temple, and Buddhist lands, and all these lands will be handed over to Narendra Modi라이브 바카라 friends.”
AITC MP Saugata Roy said, "AITC will join hands with the opposition to strongly oppose the Waqf bill and we will actively participate in the discussions surrounding the bill."
DMK MP Kanimozhi said, "We are opposing, we will vote against it, the DMK has opposed consistently. Our party leader CM MK Stalin has passed a resolution in TN Assembly opposing this Bill. We know the divisive politics and the different languages the BJP uses against the minorities of this country, we will not allow them to do that, we will stand by the minorities of the country."
Andhra Pradesh Congress Chief Y S Sharmila Reddy on Wednesday condemned the Waqf Amendment Bill as an "attempt to undermine" the religious freedom granted to Muslims under the Constitution. She called the bill a "plot" to suppress minorities and a violation of constitutional values. The APCC president claimed that the bill was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda to allegedly hurt Muslim sentiments, terming it a "black day" for India and a means to incite religious hatred.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, , "The Bill is constitutional, is in favour of Muslims, poor. People opposing it are against Muslims."
BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said, "The opposition is opposing (the bill) because opposing is their habit and there is a question over their relevancy. The opposition had requested the bill to be sent to JPC and the government had agreed to it immediately. The bill has been brought again in a new form after six months of discussions. I feel that everyone should come together to appreciate such a historic step."
Union Minister and LJP President Chirag Paswan said, “This is not the first time an amendment is being made. Changes and amendments happen in Waqf and every other sector as per the needs of time. Even till 2013, amendments were being made in Waqf, so there is no need to spread misinformation. The kind of fear-mongering happening today is just an attempt to create a false perception.”
BJP MP Kiran Choudhry said, “The opposition itself knows that the work our government is doing today should have been done decades ago. The misinformation being spread about this bill is completely wrong. This bill has been introduced only to streamline the management of Waqf properties.”
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said, "It is a big day, a big reformative change is coming through PM Modi and the central government. This Bill will be the biggest reformative change after abrogation oof Article 370, and triple talaq. Few people want Muslim community for votes, but they don't have anything to do with their progress. Today Modiji has thought. With this Bill, the marginalised Muslims will be brought in mainstream in the coming times."