Bhubaneswar: In a retreat from its earlier stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) here on Thursday said now it would be up to the conscience of the party MPs. This is after the party had earlier said all its members in the Rajya Sabha would oppose the bill.
The BJD stated that it would take a call on the bill by keeping in mind the feelings of the minority community. While it doesn’t have any representation in the Lok Sabha where the Waqf Bill has been passed, the party has seven members in the Rajya Sabha. The party originally promised all of its MPs would vote against the bill.
After the bill was passed to Lok Sabha, party spokesperson Sasmit Patra tweeted and said the party was “leaving it to the MPs to decide based on justice/harmony/interest of all communities.” He also pointed out that there has been no party whip issued on the issue.
BJD had on Wednesday said its MP Majeebulla Khan would raise the issues concerning the Muslim community in the Rajya Sabha. The party is also displeased with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is set to be taken up after being reviewed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee but with some amendments, Patra explained.
The BJD, which is a rival of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha, has extended support on many key bills in the Parliament. In 2019, the party supported the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill that divided Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. That year, too, BJD voted for triple talaq, a criminal offence under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill.
BJD, which again had backed the amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Right to Information (RTI) Act during the 2019 monsoon session, alleged a slowdown in both the economy and in society’s growth.
The BJD’s MPs have been told to play a “strong and effective opposition” role, an instruction that comes after the party’s disastrous performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which it won no seats, and a loss in the 2023 Odisha Assembly elections, in which the BJP wrested power from the regional party. After this, the party announced that it will not support the BJP-led NDA on any issues.
After a debate lasting for over 12 hours, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with 288 and 232 votes in favour and against, respectively. Rajya Sabha is now putting it under scrutiny. The bill has been backed by the BJP and its allies, who maintain it is ultimately beneficial for the Muslims, but the opposition have also termed the bill “unconstitutional”, accusing the government of trying to over-regulate the Waqf properties.