'Amendments proposed don't serve purpose of transparency'

Congress MP and one of the members of the Joint Parliamentary Panel (JPC) on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 Syed Naseer Hussain tells Preetha Nair that the bill will weaken the Muslim community.

- Preetha Nair

Excerpts: JPC chief Jagadambika Pal has denied your charges that some parts of the dissent notes have been omitted. Your take?

The dissent note reflects the viewpoints of members who oppose the bill in its current form. Any selective omission or alteration of its contents undermines parliamentary procedure. If the chairperson denies any omissions, the entire dissent note must be included in the report. If the government is confident in the merits, it should allow dissenting opinions to be recorded transparently. Only unparliamentary language, if any, may be redacted.

The government says the bill will ensure greater transparency and accountability to curb mismanagement of Waqf properties.