Waqf Bill: More than 12 hours of debate, and a washroom break that got Congress all wet

While the Business Advisory Committee had allocated eight hours for the debate on the Bill, vociferous engagement on the issue by both the Opposition and the Treasury meant the discussions went on. Having tabled for discussion at 12 noon on Wednesday, it was finally put to vote at 12.06 am Thursday. Following this, the demand for division of votes on three occasions ensured it passed only around 2 am.

It was when the clause-by-clause voting on the Bill started past midnight – with the Opposition also demanding a division on the very consideration of the legislation – that the full House got agitated over matters of a more personal nature. Seeing Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah walking out the chambers, the Opposition rose to their feet asking how this had been allowed as the “lobby” is supposed to be sealed with members not allowed to go out during voting.

Congress MP K C Venugopal was the first to raise the point, asking whether the House was bending rules for Shah and Singh. Soon, all Congress MPs, barring Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, had joined him. Treasury Benches were heard explaining that the two leaders had only gone to the washroom, but the Opposition, bracing for a defeat on the Bill, was not ready to cede a point they believed they had scored.

Only, just then, who should walk into the House but Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. Not missing a beat, the Treasury turned the tables on the Congress, asking how its own parliamentarian had stepped out. Even as the Congress tried to argue back, another of its MPs surfaced from outside – Imran Masood.

As the Treasury could not hide its glee, Gandhi could be heard above the commotion telling BJP leaders that maintaining “the sanctity of the lobby” during voting was the responsibility of the Speaker. “That these people (Gogoi and Masood) went out is not our responsibility,” he said.

All this happened over the course of a few minutes, with Shah and Singh’s return finally putting the matter to rest. Birla went on to say that unlike in the old Parliament building, where the “lobby” was restricted to the seating area in the House, in the new one, the “lobby” extended to the corridors outside and included the washroom.

“Not a single door of the lobby has been opened. When the new Parliament building was made, a provision was made for the washroom to be inside the lobby. Do not argue (unnecessarily). This was done keeping in mind the young and elderly members of the House,” the Speaker said.

This was not the only time the Congress found itself in a spot during the debate. As the talks veered to welfare of minorities, at least two MPs belonging to non-NDA parties cornered the party over the issue.

Rajasthan MP Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party said there had been no improvement in the economic and social status of Muslims in the past 70 years, adding: “The Congress members are making speeches, but somewhere they are also responsible. Yes, I am opposing the Bill, but had the Congress thought (about Muslims), some benefit could have accrued to them. The Congress has 11 MPs from Rajasthan, which has so many Waqf properties. It should have fielded at least one MP from there to speak. Even that job has been left to me.”

The entire House started laughing at this, with members of Congress ally Samajwadi Party particularly amused and seen thumping their desks.

Later, Independent MP from Kashmir Engineer Rashid, in jail over UAPA charges and attending the House on parole, also took aim at the Congress. “The world knows that the BJP openly shows Muslims their place. But the Congress dips its dagger in the sweet syrup of secularism and then drives it into the backs of Muslims,” Rashid said, with the Treasury members showing their appreciation now by thumping their desks.

After the first voting, including the washroom row, took up 40 minutes, most of the clauses of the Bill were passed by voice votes. Multiple amendments moved by members such as the Congress’s Mohammed Jawed, Masood, Gogoi, Venugopal and K Sudhakaran; the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant; the Trinamool Congress’s Saugata Roy; and the RSP’s N K Premchandran were defeated by voice vote.

One amendment moved by Premchandran, regarding the Bill’s clause dealing with inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf boards, was again put to division of votes on the Opposition’s demand. This too was defeated, with 288 votes against it and 231 in favour.

As the voting process stretched on, many Opposition MPs were seen demanding division as part of light-hearted banter with the Chair and other members. The TMC’s Kalyan Bannerjee, for example, kept shouting for a division on an amendment moved by Premchandran, even after the latter told the Chair that he was not moving it.

The final division of votes on passage of the Bill took place two minutes before 2 am, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against. This was followed by passage of the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, by a voice vote.

But the Lok Sabha was still not done – for the government now initiated a debate on the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur. Opposition members protested over a matter regarding the sensitive Northeast state being discussed at that hour. However, it was not to be, with the “debate” wrapping up in just over 30 minutes, and the Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President’s rule passed by a voice vote.