New Delhi [India], April 1 : Terming the Waqf Amendment Bill as "good", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday batted for the bill to pass in Parliament.
Speaking to ANI, Dubey stated that the Waqf Amendment Bill was first introduced by Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1911.
He further stated that separate laws for Hindus and Muslims have led to the division of the country, accusing Congress of misleading the Muslim community for vote-bank politics.
"In 1911, Jinnah Sahib brought the Muslim Waqf Act. Until 1954, it was known as the Jinnah Act. Separate laws for Hindus and Muslims have divided the country into two parts. Whenever there were elections, Congress, for Muslim vote-bank politics, misled the Muslims. Till now, 60 meetings of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) have concluded. In one of the meetings, TMC's Kalyan Banerjee tried to hit Jagadambika Pal Ji with a bottle," the BJP leader said.
"Today, in the Business Advisory Committee, the Speaker said that we can run the house for 8 hours and then decide whether or not we need to extend the time. But the Opposition came with the intention to boycott it. The Waqf Amendment Bill is a good bill and it should be passed in Parliament," Dubey, who is also a member of the Lok Sabha Business Advisory Committee, said.
The Waqf Amendment Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. The BJP on Monday has issued a whip to all Lok Sabha MPs to be present in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Opposition has been vocal in its criticism of the Waqf Amendment Bill. Sources said the INDIA bloc Floor Leaders' meeting is to be held today at 6 PM to discuss the strategy on the Waqf Amendment Bill issue.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of playing the politics of appeasement, saying that every decision they make is for votes.
Yadav said that the BJP has taken every decision to make its supporters happy and reiterated the SP's strong opposition to the bill.
Yadav further added that the BJP is introducing the Waqf Amendment Bill to "fix" its vote bank, which, he implied, is unhappy due to the lack of employment and other issues.
Reacting to the Waqf Amendment Bill, AIMIM chief and party MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, "...I can speak on behalf of my party that we will participate in the debate, move amendments, and present our views. We will explain how this Bill is unconstitutional and violates the Freedom of Religion for Muslims..."