Dealing with the Waqf Bill storm

Government should address the fear of Muslims that the new Bill violates their religious rights

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The contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by Parliament after a long and intense debate in both the Houses. The Bill is expected to make radical changes in the regulation of Islamic charitable trusts and endowments in the country, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it has been roiled in politics with the Opposition questioning the intent behind the amendments in Parliament. The floor managers of the ruling NDA were successful in convincing two of its major members, the JD(U) and the TDP, to back the amendments while the Opposition stood together as speaker after speaker deliberated on provision after provision in Parliament — the Lok Sabha discussed it for 14 hours before clearing it early Thursday morning and the Rajya Sabha debated the Bill for over 13 hours, clearing it at 2.40 am Friday. The discussions were in the best of our parliamentary traditions, with the members preferring to debate the Bill and voice their positions rather than stall the House.