The contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which proposes sweeping changes in regulation of Waqf properties and settlement of disputes, sailed through Lok Sabha after a midnight vote Wednesday, capping a marathon 12-hour debate. The Rajya Sabha will take up the debate on Thursday.
The Opposition accused the BJP-led NDA government of interference in Muslim religious affairs in contravention of the Constitution, a charge rejected by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who said the Bill had no provision for government interference.
Hitting back at Opposition parties which united in accusing the government of targeting the beliefs and practices of the Muslim community, Shah said the government had no intention to interfere in the affairs of the community.
“We are not scaring the Muslims, you are scaring the Muslims. I am saying that no citizen of this country, irrespective of religion, will be harmed,” he said and accused the Opposition of spreading “misconceptions” and “rumours” for their vote bank politics.
Both Shah and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who spoke at the beginning of the debate and replied to it before the voting, said the proposed reforms would ensure the welfare of poor Muslims and women.
There is no place in the world safer than India for minorities and they are safe because the majority is entirely secular, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said. Replying to the debate, the Union Minorities Affairs Minister, said even minuscule minority communities like the Parsis are safe in India and all minorities here live with pride.
“Some members have said that minorities are not safe in India. This statement is completely false. There is no place safer than India for minorities. I am also a minority and we all are living here without any fear and with pride,” he said after the debate on the contentious Bill.
Slamming the opposition parties for terming Waqf Amendment Bill as “unconstitutional”, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the law relating to Waqf property has been in existence for decades and has not been struck down by courts and such words should not be used lightly.
“An illusion is being created that this Act is about interference in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and in their donated property… This is being done (by the Opposition) to create their vote bank by scaring the minorities,” Amit Shah said.
Although he did not take part in the discussion, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said the Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights.
“This attack on the Constitution by the RSS, BJP and their allies is aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future. The Congress strongly opposes this legislation as it attacks the very idea of India and violates Article 25, the Right to Freedom of Religion,” he said.
Making an intervention during the debate, Shah said non-Muslims in the waqf council and boards are meant purely for ensuring administration of properties in accordance with stated aims.
Spearheading the Opposition attack on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, the Congress said that the government was out to “dilute the Constitution” and was deliberately targeting the beliefs and practices of the Muslim community.
Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, who opened for the Opposition in the debate over the Bill, asked the BJP how many Muslim MPs did it have and said the government was trying to “defame the minority communities, divide Indian society and disenfranchise minority communities”.
Taking swipes at the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “There is competition within the BJP on who is a worse Hindu. The party that claims to have the highest membership in the world is not able to elect its president,” he said.
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee said Waqf was an institution for religious and charitable purposes, and that Muslims had the constitutional right to manage their affairs.
A Raja of the DMK said it was ironic that no Muslim MP was saying the Bill would protect the rights of the Muslim community. “They (BJP) don’t have a Muslim MP who can stand and speak in favour of the Bill or pilot the Bill,” he said.