New Waqf law solid step toward social justice, says PM Modi

The common Muslims, and the poor and backwards among them only received neglect, lack of education and unemployment, while women's constitutional rights were sacrificed to placate fundamentalists, Modi said.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that the Waqf (Amendment) Act is another major solid step of his government towards social justice and said the earlier law was enacted in 2013 to appease land mafia and Muslim fundamentalists.

Addressing the News18's Rising Bharat Summit, Modi said the politics of appeasement marked the debate in Parliament over the issue, a swipe at the opposition, and added that a similar attitude was behind the country's division in 1947 when a few Congress leaders nursed the idea of "kattarpanthi" (fundamentalists) even though the view was not shared by common Muslims.

The common Muslims, and the poor and backwards among them only received neglect, lack of education and unemployment, while women's constitutional rights were sacrificed to placate fundamentalists, he said in a reference to the Shah Bano case.

The prime minister said that the Waqf law enacted in 2013 by the Congress-led UPA government created an illusion that the Act was above the Constitution.

He cited the alleged claims by Waqf boards over Christian properties in Kerala, Gurudwara properties in Haryana and farmers' land in Karnataka besides government assets to make his point.

The law was meant for justice but it has become a source of fear, Modi said, asserting that the amended Act is in the interest of the society and the Muslim community.

He congratulated Parliament for enacting the glorious law which, he noted, witnessed the second-longest debate in parliamentary history.

He said his government in the first 100 days of this year has opened new doors of possibilities with its policies, asserting that India is going to neither bow nor stop now.

He noted that peace, stability and security are very necessary conditions for fast development, and said his government curbed terrorism and naxalism.

It has shown strong political will and sensitivity in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

Noting that the 100 days in 2025 will finish in a day or two, Modi said those who thought India would go "slow and steady" are seeing a "fast and fearless" India.

The aspirations of the youth are reflected in the decisions of his government in these 100 days which have also laid a strong foundation for the future, he said.