Amaravati: A delegation of Muslim leaders, including representatives of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) N. Chandrababu Naidu here Wednesday and urged him to oppose Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the Parliament.
Accompanied by Minister for Minority Welfare N. Md Farooq and former chairman of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Mohammed Ahmed Shariff, the leaders of various Muslim organisations presented a memorandum to Naidu.
The delegation apprised the Chief Minister of their objections to the amendments proposed by the Narendra Modi government to the Waqf Act.
The meeting was significant as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key partner in the Modi government. The TDP chief assured the Muslim leaders that the party would take an appropriate decision after a discussion over the issue.
With 16 MPs, TDP is the second largest party in the NDA after the BJP. Naidu, whose party is sharing power with BJP and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh, had assured Muslims during the election campaign that the TDP would never compromise on the interests of Muslim community. TDP’s Muslim leaders are hopeful that Naidu will dissuade the Modi government from going ahead with the amendments.
The meeting with Naidu comes at a time when the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is reported to be in the final phase of its consultation with stakeholders on the Waqf Amendment Bill. The JPC is likely to present its report to Lok Sabha in the next session.
The JPC was formed to study the Bill after the Opposition parties had made the demand when the government had introduced it during the previous session.
The Muslim leaders told Naidu that the proposed amendments would destroy Waqf properties and hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
The leaders of AIMPLB and other organisations explained how the amendments would harm the very purpose of Waqf and would prove detrimental to the interests of the community. They urged the TDP chief to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament.
Leaders of AIMPLB and other Muslim organisations have been meeting chief ministers of various states and leaders of different political parties to urge them to oppose amendments to the Waqf Act. They termed the Bill a conspiracy to usurp and destroy the Waq properties in the name of Waqf protection and transparency.
