FairPoint: From pinpricks to laughter trips, Parliament's Waqf debate

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 chuckles, glee and embarrassment, 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 statistics gave them an edge and overshadowed 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 bill debate showcased the ruling party's preparedness. 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 Gandhis spoke on the bill, leaving the fight to leaders from Assam, Telangana, Kerala, West Bengal and Bihar -- states with a significant number of Muslim voters.

Perhaps the Gandhis intended to put the party's Muslim faces on the front foot, whose speeches seemed more about defending their religion and the land-controlling Waqf Board. But the move seems to have backfired, as several Muslim organisations and leaders are now criticising their silence.

While the Gandhis face backlash, speakers from the ruling party are being applauded for their witty remarks and fact-heavy presentations.

During a fiery Lok Sabha debate, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jab at the ruling BJP, questioning why the country's largest political party was unable to elect its president. Home Minister Amit Shah swiftly responded, saying that the BJP is not a dynastic party and takes its time to decide leadership.

"In some parties, only five members of a family have to choose the president..." he quipped.

In the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi delivered a fiery speech in Hindi, lamenting the changing image of Muslims -- from being represented by artists and intellectuals to now being linked with names like Ishrat Jahan, Yakub Memon, Mukhtar Ansari, Atiq Ahmed, and Dawood Ibrahim.

At this point, MDMK MP Vaiko and a few Congress members interrupted him. However, HM Amit Shah intervened and, in jest, remarked, "Vaikoji understands Hindi," which drew laughter across the House and, in turn, exposed the DMK's duplicity on the alleged Hindi imposition issue.

In another moment, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale took a poetic jab at the Opposition while supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha, leaving the House in splits. He particularly targeted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, urging him to acknowledge Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives.

But perhaps the most talked-about moment was the 'washroom' clash. A heated exchange erupted over Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh leaving during voting. The Opposition questioned how the two were allowed to exit while the lobby had been sealed. As the leaders shouted, Deputy Leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi and, later, Congress MP Imran Masood entered from outside, causing an embarrassment to the Opposition.

Finally, Speaker Om Birla clarified that no rules had been broken, explaining that the new Parliament building's extended layout includes the corridors and washrooms beyond the chamber.

Another heated moment occurred in the Rajya Sabha between HM Amit Shah and Congress MP Digvijay Singh. During the Waqf debate, Singh questioned HM Shah about his role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, to which Shah said that he was not the Home Minister of Gujarat at that time. In his turn, HM Shah challenged Digvijay Singh to deny his earlier comments that linked the RSS to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Shah repeatedly challenged Singh on this, and finally, a visibly irritated and cornered Singh said he never said so.

Undoubtedly, the bill witnessed a bitter and fierce debate, with both sides using every tool at their disposal. The Opposition also had its share of embarrassment, especially when some MPs who opposed the bill attacked Congress.

Hanuman Beniwal, Lok Sabha MP and chief of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party remarked that there had been no real improvement in the socio-economic status of Muslims in the past 70 years.

Independent MP from Kashmir, Engineer Rashid, went further, saying that Congress "dips its dagger in the sweet syrup of secularism and then drives it into the backs of Muslims."

While the debate on the Waqf Bill has concluded, and President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval, the politics around it is far from over. Several Opposition parties and prominent Muslim organisations have vowed to continue the fight. In the meantime, a video has gone viral showing Waqf Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman Jagdambika Pal, Congress MP Naseer Hussain, and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi laughing and joking in the Parliament canteen -- leaving the public both amused and perplexed.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)