India, April 2 -- The Lok Sabha will take up the contentious Waqf amendment bill for discussion and passage on Wednesday, setting the stage for confrontation in Parliament on what is among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's flagship initiatives in its third term.

The Lower House will discuss for eight hours a new draft of the bill that accepted 25 recommendations made by a joint parliamentary committee, including retaining the crucial waqf-by-user clause and implementing the draft legislation only prospectively. The bill will be also discussed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The bill will test the cohesiveness of the NDA as the BJP needs the support of key allies in both Houses. On Tuesday, the party appeared confident ...