"Do not push agendas without consultations": Opposition's all-out attack as Centre moves Waqf Bill

New Delhi, Aug 08: The members of the opposition parties made an all-out attack on the Centre as Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule urged the government to either withdraw the bill completely or send it to a standing committee. "Please do not push agendas without consultations," Supriya Sule said in Lok Sabha.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP NK Premachandran in Lok Sabha said that if this law is put through judicial scrutiny then it will be "struck down."

"You are disempowering the Waqf Board and the Waqf council. You are dismantling the system. It is against the principles of the Constitution. I caution the government that if this law is put through judicial scrutiny then it will definitely be struck down," Premachandran said.

Opposing the bill, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said, "Yeh bill jo introduce ho raha hai woh bahut sochi samjhi rajneeti ke tehat ho raha hai. Speaker sir, I heard in the lobby that some of your rights are also going to be taken away and we will have to fight for you. I oppose this bill."

Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed the bill in the House and dubbed it an "attack on the federal system."

"We are Hindus but at the same time, we respect the faith of other religions. This bill is specialized for the Maharashtra and Haryana elections. You do not understand that last time the people of India taught you a lesson. This is an attack on the federal system," Venugopal said while speaking on the bill in the House.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the bill violates the principles of Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution.

"This bill is both discriminatory and arbitrary. By bringing this bill, you (the central government) are doing the work of dividing the nation not uniting it. This bill is evidence of the fact that you are an enemy of the Muslims," Asaduddin Owaisi said.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said that it is a direct violation of Article 30 which deals with minorities to administer their institutions. "This bill targets a particular religious group," Kanimozhi said.

Backing the bill, JD(U) MP and Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan said, " How is it against Muslims? This law is being made to bring transparency...The opposition is comparing it with temples, they are diverting from the main issue. KC Venugopal (Congress) should explain how thousands of Sikhs were killed, which taxi driver killed Indira Gandhi? Now, they are talking about minorities."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha. "With this bill, there is no interference in the freedom of any religious body. Forget about taking anyone's rights, this bill has been brought to give rights to those who never got them," Kiren Rijiju said.

The bill seeks to "effectively address issues" related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties and removal of encroachments.