Amid political heat and the opposition’s standoff, the Lok Sabha is set to take up the Waqf (Amendment) Bill for discussion and passage on Wednesday. This set the stage for a showdown between an NDA-led central government determined to push it through and an opposition united in condemning the proposed law as unconstitutional.
The bill is likely to come before the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, with the two Houses allocated eight hours each for debating the proposed law.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena and LJP (Ram Vilas) — the four biggest constituents of the NDA after the BJP — issued whips to their MPs asking them to support the government stand.
The political uproar over the contentious bill is unlikely to have any bearing on the outcome as the numbers heavily favour the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha.
The NDA has 293 MPs in the Lower House with a current strength of 542, and the BJP has often been successful in pulling the support of independent members and parties.
Though BJP allies like the TDP, JD(U), and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas) had expressed reservations over some aspects of the bill, they have become more agreeable after the parliamentary committee adopted a few of their suggestions, official sources have said.
The opposition INDIA bloc also presented a united face on Wednesday as its parties discussed their joint strategy to oppose the bill at a meeting in the Parliament House.
Minorities and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters that the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee (BAC), which includes leaders from all major parties, chaired by Speaker Om Birla agreed on an eight-hour debate, which could be extended after taking the sense of the House.
Senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, are likely to participate in the discussion on the bill in Parliament, sources told news agency PTI.
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