Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi In JPC Formed For Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Odisha Aparajita Sarangi has been included in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed by the Central government to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Aparajita, who represents Bhubaneswar in Lok Sabha, is the only MP from Odisha in the 21-member parliamentary panel, official sources said.

“I am honoured to be made part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on ‘THE WAQF ( AMENDMENT) BILL, 2024’ in the Lok Sabha today,” Aparajita said in a post on X handle.

The committee has members from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

The committee was formed a day after it was proposed that the bill should be sent to JPC for it to look over. The Waqf Amendment Bill has stirred controversy in the parliament with the Opposition calling it ‘draconian’ and ‘anti-Muslim’.

The BJP-led NDA government tabled the bill in Lok Sabha on August 8, the first significant legislation introduced by Modi 3.0 cabinet since its formation in June. The bill drew strong criticism from the INDIA bloc for it being ‘draconian’ in nature.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, if passed, will see important changes in how the Waqf Board functions. The bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards proposes far-reaching changes in the Wakf Act, of 1995, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.