Waqf Bill assault on Constitution, will fight it on every forum: CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat

Madurai: Calling the Waqf (Amendment) Bill an assault on the Constitution, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said on Thursday that her party will use all available fora to fight against it.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the 24th party congress here, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader reiterated the party's strong opposition to the Bill.

"We believe it is an assault on the Constitution of India," Karat said.

She said if the issue was just about the Waqf Board's functioning, reforms could have been introduced in consultation with the Muslim community.

"The BJP is raising a bulldozer against the believers of Islam. Even though it may use its majority in Parliament to push this, we will use every forum available to fight against this assault on the Constitution," she said.

Karat emphasised that the CPI(M) does not see Hindutva as a factor in isolation, but it also has a pro-corporate agenda, and the party is opposed to attacks on any minority groups.

Asked about Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's absence in the Lok Sabha during the debate and voting on the Bill, Karat said, it is for the Congress leader to answer.

"You will have to ask Priyanka Gandhi. It is for everyone, the constituents (of the UDF), to see that she was not there. It is for her to answer," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi's absence in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has been criticised by Left leaders from Kerala.

Karat also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre for its silence over the tariffs imposed by the United States.

"(US President) Donald Trump, in his ongoing trade war, has put a 26-per cent tariff on Indian goods. While we condemn it because it has been done without any consultation, what we are very concerned about is that although other governments react when Trump imposes these tariffs, why is it that our government would not speak a single word?" she asked.

"This shows the nature of this government, which claims to be ultra-nationalist, but when it comes to protecting the interests of India against the US, this government is not doing anything," she said.

Karat demanded that appropriate measures be taken by the government to address the issue.

The Left leader said the concern of her party at present is to rebuild its base in West Bengal and Tripura, and added that strengthening the Left unity and bringing together secular and democratic forces are also in focus.

"This is a congress of renewal, rejuvenation and commitment to take our political line forward," she said.

Two resolutions have so far been moved in the CPI(M) congress -- one on countering the communal attacks of the RSS-BJP and Sangh Parivar and another on supporting a general strike called on May 20 against the new labour codes.

"We were shocked to know that section 111 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), which is against organised crime, is being used against trade union leaders," Karat said, adding that two trade union leaders were arrested under this section in Uttar Pradesh and one was held in Jammu and Kashmir.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, asserting that the proposed legislation is not against Muslims or intended to hurt their religious feelings, but seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.

The Lok Sabha passed the Bill by a 288-232 vote in the early hours of Thursday, after nearly 12 hours of debate.