Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar Discusses Waqf Board Reforms
Incident at JPC Meeting
In Siliguri, West Bengal, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar addressed the recent suspension of Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) session on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024. Banerjee was suspended after reportedly smashing a glass bottle during the meeting.
Government’s Stance on Waqf Board
Majumdar stated that the BJP government aims to correct injustices within the Waqf Board, citing an example of a 1500-year-old temple being claimed as Waqf property, which he described as a vote bank strategy.
Details of the Suspension
Banerjee was suspended for one session under rule 347 by a 9-7 vote. The meeting, attended by retired judges and Supreme Court lawyers, was disrupted when Banerjee attempted to speak out of turn, leading to a heated exchange with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Banerjee then broke a glass bottle, injuring himself, and threw it towards the chairman, causing the meeting to adjourn.
Goals of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 seeks to implement reforms such as digitizing records, enforcing stricter audits, enhancing transparency, and establishing legal measures to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties.
Doubts Revealed
Union Minister -: A Union Minister is a member of the government in India who is in charge of a specific department or ministry, like education or health.
Sukanta Majumdar -: Sukanta Majumdar is a politician in India who is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and serves as a Union Minister.
Waqf Board -: The Waqf Board is an organization in India that manages properties and funds donated for religious or charitable purposes in the Muslim community.
Kalyan Banerjee -: Kalyan Banerjee is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Trinamool Congress party in India.
JPC -: JPC stands for Joint Parliamentary Committee, which is a group of members from both houses of the Indian Parliament that come together to discuss specific issues or bills.
Trinamool Congress -: Trinamool Congress is a political party in India, mainly active in the state of West Bengal.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is one of the major political parties in India.
Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 -: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 is a proposed law in India that aims to make changes to how Waqf properties are managed, including digitizing records and enforcing audits.
Digitize records -: Digitizing records means converting information from paper to digital format, so it can be stored and accessed on computers.
Enforce audits -: Enforcing audits means making sure that regular checks are done to see if the financial records and operations are correct and fair.
Reclaim properties -: Reclaiming properties means taking back properties that were wrongly taken or used by someone else.