Created new record: Union Minister Rijiju hails 17-hour debate on Waqf Bill in RS

During a press conference on Friday, the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs said that the previous record was made back in 1981 when the Parliament discussed the Essential Service Maintenance Act.

"One important milestone that we have achieved in Rajya Sabha... Yesterday, in the Rajya Sabha, we created a new record. The earlier record was in 1981 when the Parliament discussed the Essential Service Maintenance Act... We created a new record - we discussed for 17 hours and 2 minutes in Rajya Sabha (over the Waqf Amendment Bill). It seems extremely difficult to break this record... There was not a single disruption during the discussion over the Waqf amendment Bill...", Rijiju stated.

He also responded to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's comments regarding the passage of the bill, where she referred to the process as forceful and bulldozed.

Rijiju clarified the efforts involved in passing the bill, stating that the discussion was extensive and productive and that it was not rushed or forced.

"Sonia Gandhi is a senior leader; I don't want to comment on her. Yesterday, during the parliamentary party meeting of Congress, a statement was released that the Bill (the Waqf Amendment Act) was passed forcefully and bulldozed the procedures. I just clarified and stated the amount of effort that has been put into that. We created a record of the discussion. There has never been this much discussion in the parliamentary history," Rijiju added, defending the legislative process and the extensive deliberations that preceded the bill's passage in Parliament.

The Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill in the early hours of Friday after a marathon and heated debate.

Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed." The House sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation.

The Lok Sabha, which discussed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate.

The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.

The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.