NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after fierce discussion for over 12 hours with the govt countering the opposition’s charges of encroachment on constitutional and Muslim rights and attacks on federalism with a strong defence of the changes in the Act governing Islamic endowments.
The bill was adopted by 288 votes in favour and 232 against, thanks to support from BJP’s ‘secular’ allies, which helped more than bridge the gap between the party’s own numbers and the majority mark. BJP, in any case, was always confident of prevailing in the contest and its confidence came through clearly in home minister Amit Shah’s feisty “you carried out the changes only to keep your vote bank intact, and we have decided to cancel it” declaration.
The bill is expected to comfortably clear the numbers test in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Although the debate in LS followed the by-now familiar ‘secular versus communal’ trajectory, the smooth passage of the bill marked an important juncture. Coming after the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which was opposed on the ground of being allegedly anti-Muslim, criminalisation of triple talaq and enactment of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, passage of the Waqf Bill marked the fourth instance where the BJP govt has had its way despite the combined resistance of Muslim outfits and secular parties.
In fact, the latest success counts even more because it was pulled off despite BJP lacking a majority and with the support of ‘secular’ allies who, it seems, are confident of not ending up being losers in the bargain – something which perhaps reflects the assessment that any loss of Muslim support for them would be more than compensated by gains from the partnership with BJP.
Shah’s intervention came during the daylong debate that witnessed a fierce exchange between the two sides, with Congress deputy leader in LS Gaurav Gogoi alleging that the bill was an attempt to attack the basic structure of the Constitution, defame minorities, disenfranchise them and divide society. In his opening remarks, minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the allegation that the proposed law was an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom in religious affairs.
Kiren Rijiju: Bill has nothing to do with religion, just properties
Rijiju said the bill had nothing to do with religion, but dealt only with properties. “The govt is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the waqf law by the UPA govt gave it an overriding effect over other laws, hence the new amendments were required,” he said amid noisy opposition protests.
BJP was bolstered by a show of support from its key allies TDP, JDU, Shiv Sena and LJP, while the INDIA bloc put up a united show in opposing the bill.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the bill was BJP’s ploy for polarisation following its reverses in the Lok Sabha polls, and said it would send a wrong message to the world, denting the country’s secular image. The bill would prove to be BJP’s “Waterloo” as some of its allies might be supporting the bill but they were not happy about the development inside, he added.
After most of the leading opposition leaders had spoken, Shah launched a stout defence of the bill and rejected the criticism that appointment of non-Muslims in waqf councils and boards violated the community’s right to manage its own affairs.
Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said over the years, Congress only paid lip service to the cause of minorities but did nothing to empower them. He also referenced the Shah Bano case, accusing Congress of undermining legal reforms for political gains. “When Supreme Court ruled in favour of Shah Bano, the Rajiv Gandhi govt overturned the decision for vote-bank politics. Congress had 400 seats then but never got a majority after that. Today, they continue to oppose necessary reforms for political reasons,” he said.
Along with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Rijiju also moved the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, which was passed in the Lok Sabha.
