NEW DELHI: The debate over the

Waqf Act Amendment Bill

took an unexpected turn as

Samajwadi Party

chief

Akhilesh Yadav

locked horns with Union home minister

Amit Shah

. The exchange began when Akhilesh alleged that the rights of the

Lok Sabha

Speaker were under threat, a claim that quickly drew a rebuttal from Shah.
Akhilesh Yadav, while voicing his opposition to the Waqf Act Amendment Bill, remarked, “Speaker sir, I heard in the lobby that some of your rights are also going to be taken away, and we will have to fight for you.

I oppose this bill.”
Responding to Yadav’s allegations, Amit Shah was quick to defend the government and the sanctity of the Speaker’s role. He retorted, “Rights of Lok Sabha speaker are not only meant for the opposition, it’s for the entire Lok Sabha,” underscoring that the Speaker’s powers are integral to the functioning of the entire Parliament, not just a particular political faction.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also intervened, calling for restraint. “I expect the members to not make comments on the Chair and the Lok Sabha proceedings, and I think that the experienced members will take care of it and not make any personal comments on the Chair,” Birla said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also launched an attack on the BJP-led NDA government during the debate on the Waqf Act Amendment Bill. Akhilesh accused the government of disguising the amendments as a pretext to sell Waqf Board lands, taking a dig at the ruling party by suggesting that the ‘Janata’ in BJP might as well be replaced with ‘Zameen’.