From pinpricks to laughter trips, Parliament’s Waqf debate

It takes two to play a game, and it certainly did in Parliament, where the wholesome Opposition and the powerful Treasury slugged it out in one of the longest sessions of debate in the Parliament’s history.

- DEEPIKA BHAN

The marathon debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which seeks to put an end to the rampant trend of land-grabbing, had its share of highs and lows, laughter and brickbats, anger and good humour, emotion and politics. Sparks flew thick and fast, with allegations, accusations and even personal attacks exchanged.

The debate was filled with intense arguments and conflicting opinions.

Despite all this, the debate conclusively handed a clear win to the ruling coalition. They presented facts and figures -- many of which were both shocking and alarming. The Treasury benches edged over-shadowed the Opposition’s arguments, which focused largely on politicking and vote-bank appeasement. If data gave the NDA an upper hand, several of its speakers -- especially Home Minister Amit Shah and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju -- emerged as stars.

The Opposition, on the other hand, failed to counter the narrative effectively. In fact, its prominent leaders remained silent or absent for most of the debate. None of the Gandhi’s spoke on the Bill, leaving the fight to leaders from Assam, Telangana, West Bengal and Bihar -- states with a significant number of Muslim voters.