Vote bank politics and Muslims take centre-stage as NDA, Opposition debate on Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Lok Sabha was on Wednesday night debating a contentious Bill to amend the existing Waqf laws with the ruling BJP and the Opposition locking horns by accusing each other of indulging in vote bank politics.

The debate on the Bill had started a little after 12 noon.

While the Bill brought the I.N.D.I.A. parties together after irritants have appeared in the bloc over its electoral reverses after impressive Lok Sabha performance, BJP also had a sigh of relief after critical allies like JD(U), TDP and LJP (Ramvilas) threw their weight behind the proposed legislation after initially raising concerns about certain provisions.

While NDA ministers and MPs accused the Opposition of misleading Muslims, the Opposition alleged that the government was demolishing the Constitution by targeting religious freedom of a minority community.

Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who piloted the Bill, said it is not a law to snatch Muslims' properties but to help poor Muslims. The Minister said the Waqf properties were developed and with the new provisions, it could be used for the benefit of poor Muslims.

Attacking the Congress, he said the UPA government had notified 123 properties as Waqf in 2013 and there were even claims on Parliament building by Delhi Waqf Board. “If the Modi government had not come and if UPA had continued, we don't know which building they would have notified as Waqf,” he said.

Intervening in the debate, Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that for vote bank politics, fear is being spread that the Bill will interfere in religious matters of Muslims and properties donated to Waqf.

“There was no provision earlier to include any non-Muslim among those who run religious institutions, nor is the NDA government going to do so...Non-Muslims in Waqf Council and Boards are purely for ensuring administration of properties in accordance with stated aims...Waqf is religious, not Waqf Board or the council,” he said.

Initiating the debate, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the ruling BJP’s eyes are on the land of the minority community.

He asked, “which community do you want to mislead? The same community that fought for India’s independence? The community that sacrificed alongside Mangal Pandey in 1857? You want to tarnish the reputation of a community in which 2 lakh ulema were martyred? You seek to defame the community that supported us during the Quit India Movement? You want to stain the name of the community that supported the Dandi March…”

While DMK's A Raja said that the irony is that a party with no Muslim MP is claiming to protect the interests of the community, Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan Banerjee said the Bill is a “clear breach” of Muslims’ constitutional right to manage their own religious affairs.