# Waqf (Amendment) Bill : Strong Opposition Proves Mettle ; Forces Government To Send To JPC

Picture : ANI/ X

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha and referred to a joint parliamentary panel after a heated debate, with the government asserting the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques and the opposition calling it targeting of Muslims and an attack on the Constitution.

According to PTI, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he will talk with leaders of all parties for constituting the joint parliamentary committee.

Soon after Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought leave to introduce the Bill, opposition INDIA bloc MPs strongly protested the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it an ‘attack’ on the Constitution and aimed at targeting Muslims.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told media outside parliament and quoted by ANI said, , “… There were people who wanted to speak but were not given a chance because so many people are against the introduction of this bill. This is unconstitutional. Let there be discussions in the JPC, only then will we say anything.”

On the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi told ANI outside parliament, “… Religious matters are very sensitive. We were always asking the government to not make decisions in a hurry. But it is now very clear that they do not intend to work for anyone’s welfare and focus only on politics, and appeasement, and to save themselves in the upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Haryana… We demanded to send this bill to a JPC.”

Congress MP K C Venugopal, who had submitted notice to oppose its introduction, accused the government of violating the right to freedom of religion and claimed the legislation was being brought with an eye on the upcoming assembly polls.

“This is a draconian law and a fundamental attack on the Constitution,” Venugopal said.

He said people taught the Bharatiya Janata Party a lesson — in the Lok Sabha polls — for its divisive politics but it is continuing with the same, keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections in states such as Maharashtra.

“It is a direct attack on freedom of religion….Next you will go for Christians, then Jains,” he said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Bill was being introduced to appease the BJP’s hardcore supporters.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi told ANI , ” Before the introduction of the Bill, we had sent a notice to the Speaker – under Rule 72 – that we are against the introduction of this Bill. We believe that this Bill violates the principles of Articles 14, 15 and 25. This Bill violates the basic structure of the Constitution. It especially violates judicial independence and separations of powers…You want to snatch away the mosques that are being claimed by the RSS, snatch away the dargahs that are being claimed by right-wing Hindutva organisations…There are a lot of sections herein that are dangerous. They are not in favour of Waqf Board but are instead trying to finish it off…All their arguments are false…This is not legislation but something to bulldoze Waqf and finish Muslims…”