Hyderabad, Aug 9: Despite the opposition to Wakf Amendment Bill from various Muslim organizations, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supported it when it was tabled in Lok Sabha. This stand of the party has disappointed the Muslim community.
TDP is leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh and is a key partner of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Though Muslim leaders met Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and requested him to influence Narendra Modi government to refer the controversial Bill to Select Committee of the Parliament for a broader debate, the TDP MPs not only backed the Bill in Lok Sabha but also did not insist on referring the Bill to Select Committee.
TDP MP G.M. Harish Balayogi spoke in support of the Bill in Lok Sabha. He said that his party would not mind the Bill being sent to Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). “I appreciate the concern with which the government has brought this Bill. The purpose of the donors needs to be protected. When the purpose and power get misused, it is the responsibility of the government to bring reforms and transparency in the system,” he said.
The Amalapuram MP, however, said if wider consultations are required to remove misconceptions and to educate members on the purpose of the Bill, the TDP has no problem sending it to a Select Committee. However, the Bill was referred to the JPC.
TDP’s stand came as a disappointment for Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh. The community had fully backed the party, despite its alliance with the BJP.
Chandrababu Naidu had assured Muslims that TDP would never compromise on secularism. He had tried to justify the alliance with the BJP on the ground that he needs assistance from the Centre to rebuild the state as it suffered tremendously under the five-year rule of the YSR Congress Party.
TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance came to power in the state with a landslide majority, winning 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly. It also bagged 21 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
With 16 Lok Sabha MPs, TDP is the second biggest party in the NDA after BJP.
A delegation of leaders of various Muslim organizations met Chandrababu Naidu on August 8 and submitted him a memorandum. They demanded that the controversial Bill should be sent to the Select Committee.
Minority Rights Protection Committee state president Farooq Shibli presented a memorandum to Naidu and told him that the Muslim community has many reservations about the proposed amendments to Waqf Act. He said the Bill should be referred to the Select Committee for wider consultation.
Chandrababu Naidu reacted positively to the demands of the delegation and assured them that TDP would stand by Muslims.
Minority affairs minister NMD Farooq was also present when the delegation met the Chief Minister. The minister himself claimed to have made a representation to Naidu to explain to him the apprehensions of the Muslim community.
However, the stand taken by the TDP in Lok Sabha came as a shock to the Muslim community.
The TDP leaders are likely to come under pressure from the community in the coming days to oppose the Bill like YSR Congress Party has done.
