Lok Sabha passes Waqf Amendment Bill with 288 votes in favour

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill, which seeks to curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.

The bill was adopted after a 12-hour debate, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against it, reported The Times of India. The bill needs to be cleared by the Rajya Sabha before it receives the president’s assent.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha. After winning 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and losing the majority in the Lower House, the BJP has had to rely on its alliance partners Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party to pass bills.

The Janata Dal (United) supported the waqf bill, saying that it was not against Muslims. The party had earlier said that the bill aimed to ensure transparency in the operation of the waqf boards and was not an attempt to interfere with mosques. However, it urged the Union government not to implement the bill with retrospective effect.

On March 23, several Muslim organisations in Bihar boycotted an Iftar dinner organised by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his home in Patna on Sunday, citing the Janata Dal (United)’s support for the bill.

The Telugu Desam Party had also announced its support for the...

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