Fiery exchanges rock RS as MPs debate Waqf Bill

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is facing a crucial Rajya Sabha (RS) test on Thursday, a day after sailing through the Lok Sabha following a marathon 12-hour debate.Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju tabled the Bill and emphasized why it was significant, highlighting it as paramount in the lives of poor Muslim families.

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The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is facing a crucial Rajya Sabha (RS) test on Thursday, a day after sailing through the Lok Sabha following a marathon 12-hour debate. Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju tabled the Bill and emphasized why it was significant in bringing a turnaround in the lives of poor Muslim families.

The Upper House witnessed repeated rounds of verbal squabbles as the treasury and opposition benches locked horns over multiple issues, including Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge's Waqf landholding claims and 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans raised after Congress MP's election win in Karnataka.

The chaos also saw interventions from Home Minister Amit Shah, who accused the opposition of spreading misinformation over the Waqf Bill and also rebutted charges that the BJP was trying to polarise the electorate with amendments in the legislation.

The first face-off happened when Syed Naseer Hussain, Congress MP from Karnataka, accused the Centre of citing false claims on no legal recourse against the Waqf Tribunal order.