Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today alleged that the rights of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are being slashed and the Opposition would have to fight for him, drawing a sharp response from Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Kannauj MP was addressing Lok Sabha during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill when he said, "Your rights and our rights are being curtailed. I had told you that you are the judge of democracy. I have heard that some of your rights are being snatched and we would have to fight for you."
The Union Home Minister rose to respond to Mr Yadav. "This is an insult of the Chair. The rights of the Speaker do not belong to the Opposition, but to the whole House. Don't speak in a roundabout way. You are not the protector of the Speaker's rights," Mr Shah said.
Mr Birla later told Mr Yadav that he and other members of the House must not comment on the Chair. "This is my expectation, no personal remarks should be made on the Chair," he said.
Opposing the legislation, Mr Yadav said it has been introduced as part of a well-thought-out politics. "When there is a democratic process for election, why nominate people? No person from outside the community is part of other religious bodies. What is the point of including non-Muslims in Waqf bodies?" he said.
Mr Yadav said the BJP has brought this legislation to appease some hardline supporters after its setback in the Lok Sabha election.
Opposition parties joined forces to oppose the legislation that aims to address issues related to powers of State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of Waqf properties and removal of encroachment.
The legislation proposes to amend 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act. The Bill proposes that the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards must have two women. It also lays down that money received by the Waqf Board must be used for the welfare of widows, divorcees, and orphans in the manner suggested by the government. Another key proposal is that women's inheritances must be protected. The provision for including non-Muslim members of Waqf bodies is another contentious point in the proposed law.