'Tight slap on Modi govt': Opposition backs SC stay on Waqf law provisions

New Delhi: Opposition on Monday called the Supreme Court ordering a stay on the key provisions of the “blatantly problematic” new Waqf law, as a “tight slap on the face” of the Modi government and said it could have avoided the "embarrassment" if the ruling BJP had heeded to their advice.

Welcoming the SC order, though it did not stay the entire law, the Opposition parties said that it was a “win for the Constitutional values of justice, equality, and fraternity” and demanded the law be repealed by taking the “right lessons” from the order.

The government too welcomed the order with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju saying it was a “very good sign” for democracy. “The provisions are beneficial to the entire Muslim community.The misuse, including encroachment of property through Waqf Board, will now be stopped. The SC was aware of the whole issue,” he said in Mumbai.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the SC has reaffirmed its resolve to protect the rights of minorities, a cause for which the Opposition stood united against the Modi government.

“The BJP had sought to bulldoze a divisive law, designed solely to inflame communal passions and reopen issues that India had long settled,” he said, adding that the ruling party thrives on “dividing society for narrow electoral gains”.

While CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby welcomed the order, senior Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai said, “This law was brought for a specific intention, which was wrong and unjust. Everyone should trust the court that the final verdict will provide justice to everyone.”

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said the order on the “blatantly problematic” Waqf (Amendment) Act was a “vindication” of their stand that this law is “blatantly unconstitutional and designed to target a particular community”.

The Supreme Court has stayed provisions that only those practising Islam for the last five years can dedicate a property as Waqf and powers of District Collectors to decide on Waqf disputes while restricting the number of non-Muslims in central and state Waqf bodies. It also said the Chief Executives of the Waqf Boards should be Muslims as far as possible.

“This verdict is yet another tight slap on the face of this government that is solely focused on destroying the Constitution. If they had paid heed to the opposition’s advice given in Parliament, they would have been spared this embarrassment,” he said.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said that the SC order represents a “substantial victory” not just for the parties but all those members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee who submitted detailed dissent notes on the “arbitrary” law, which were “then ignored but now stand vindicated”.

“The order is an important one because it goes a long way towards undoing the mischievous intentions underlying the original statute. The intention behind these sections was always apparent - to keep the voter base inflamed and create an administrative structure to indulge those seeking to foment religious disputes,” he said.

Congress Rajya Sabha Whip Syed Naseer Hussain said the order vindicates their stand that “any reform must be transparent, consultative, and faithful to the Constitution”.

CPI General Secretary D Raja said the SC has raised several pertinent issues that need to be addressed and unless those issues are addressed and a solution is found, how can legislation be implemented. “Now, it is for the government to respond. The government cannot put this legislation into implementation unless the issues raised by the SC are addressed,” he said.