– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi cautioned the government on Monday against introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in its current form, warning it could lead to social instability. He asserted that the entire Muslim community has rejected the Bill.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi said:
“I am warning the government—if you pass this Waqf law in its present form, violating Articles 25, 26, and 14, it will create social unrest. The entire Muslim community has rejected it. No Waqf property will be left.”
Referring to the alleged Mandir agitation, he added, “You talk about ‘Viksit Bharat,’ and so do we. But if you want to take us back to the 1980s and 90s, you will be responsible.”
Owaisi strongly opposed the Bill, stating, “As a proud Indian Muslim, I will not lose an inch of my Masjid or Dargah. We will not allow that. This House is where I must speak honestly. My community is proud to be Indian. Waqf is our property, not given by anyone. You cannot snatch it away. Waqf is a form of worship for me.”
The Bill is widely seen as an attempt to create communal tensions and divert attention from the government’s failures.
Opposition MPs Kalyan Banerjee (Lok Sabha) and Md. Nadimul Haque (Rajya Sabha) strongly opposed the removal of key passages from the Bill.
In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, dated February 3, 2025, they said their objections were unfairly removed without notice or justification. “To our dismay and utter surprise, we found that the Chairman deleted our objectives and dissent notes without informing us or taking our consent,” they wrote.
