Senior BJP Lok Sabha member Jagdambika Pal will lead the 31-member joint parliamentary committee tasked with examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is set to report back by the next session.

With Muslims accounting for 12-13% of the state’s population, the TDP, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, would find it difficult to support the legislation for fear of antagonising the minority community.

Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre and other leaders of the ruling party have stressed on a consensus and taking the Muslim community into confidence before any amendment is made to the Waqf Act.

A potential clash was averted as police whisked away protesters who raised slogans against Thackeray seeking clarification on his party's stand on the bill even as Shiv Sena (UBT) workers started gathering outside 'Maotshree' in the afternoon, a police official said.

On Thursday, a heated debate erupted in the Lok Sabha between Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Yadav criticised the bill, questioning the inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf bodies, which led to a sharp response from Shah.

On Thursday, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and proposed that it be scrutinized by a joint parliamentary committee. This proposal follows objections from opposition parties regarding certain provisions of the bill. Alongside this, Rijiju also presented The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024.