– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, strongly criticized the Union government for introducing the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill. They called it unconstitutional, a violation of religious freedom, and an attempt to bring personal laws under state control.
Kharge posted on X, stating, “The Modi Government’s Waqf (Amendment) Bill is blatantly unconstitutional, undermining religious freedom, and attempting to control personal laws.” He accused the BJP of treating minorities as second-class citizens and now targeting their properties. Congress, he reaffirmed, will oppose this divisive RSS-BJP agenda.
Rahul Gandhi called the Bill a weapon against Muslims, threatening their personal laws and property rights. He warned that the RSS and BJP’s next targets would be other communities. “This attack on the Constitution is aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent for future targeting of others,” he said. Congress, he asserted, opposes this law as it violates Article 25 and the very idea of India.
Congress organizing general secretary and Alappuzha MP K.C. Venugopal termed the Bill “dangerous and divisive.” He questioned whether all pressing national issues had been solved: “Is unemployment over? Are farmers happy? Are women safe? Why is this BJP’s focus?” He called it another example of the BJP’s hatred towards minorities, aiming to control Waqf properties and suppress Muslim rights. He vowed that Congress would fight to protect the Constitution and fundamental rights.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera slammed the Bill as “anti-Muslim and anti-constitutional,” calling it a direct attack on Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of equality and minority rights.
Key Issues with the Waqf Bill:
-Violation of Article 26
The Bill (Sec 3C) gives state officers power over Waqf disputes, undermining Waqf Board autonomy and interfering in religious affairs.
-Forced Non-Muslim Inclusion in Waqf Boards (Violates Art. 30)
The Bill mandates two non-Muslim members in Waqf Boards (Sec 9, 14), imposing majoritarian control.
-Five-Year Loyalty Test for Waqf Creation
Only Muslims practicing Islam for five years can endow property (Sec 3(r)), violating Articles 14 and 25.
– Abolition of ‘Waqf by User’
The Bill (Sec 36(1A)) demands formal deeds, erasing a centuries-old Muslim tradition protected under Article 29.
– Central Control Over State Waqf Regulations
A centralized digital portal (Sec 3B) for waqf properties limits state autonomy, violating federal principles.
– Waqf Land Grab Agenda
The Bill (Sec 3C) allows state officers to seize waqf properties as government land without clear criteria, risking mass dispossession of mosques, schools, and hospitals.
Attack on Constitutional Rights
The Bill threatens multiple constitutional provisions:
Religious freedom (Articles 25-26)
Minority rights (Articles 29-30)
Minority rights (Articles 29-30)
Federalism (Article 246)
Equality (Article 14)
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the government’s misuse of the Umeed scheme for women SHGs in J&K to justify the Bill, calling it a blatant attack on the Constitution.
