Video Available, “Vehement Opposition: Owaisi Rejects Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Declares ‘Aap Muslims Ke Dushman Ho’.”
New Delhi: Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, labeling it discriminatory and arbitrary. He accused the Modi-led NDA government of dividing the nation.
“This bill violates the principles of Articles 14, 15, and 25 of the Constitution. It is both discriminatory and arbitrary. By bringing this bill, you (the Central government) are dividing the nation, not uniting it. This bill is evidence that you are an enemy of the Muslims,” Owaisi stated in the Lok Sabha.
Union Minority Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha on August 8. The bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, addressing issues related to the powers of State Waqf Boards, the Central Waqf Council, registration and survey of Waqf properties, and removal of encroachments.
Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc, including the Congress, SP, DMK, and NCP (SCP), opposed the bill. They object to provisions like empowering district collectors and including non-Muslims on state Waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council. The bill proposes over 40 amendments, including representation for Muslim women and non-Muslims in Waqf bodies.
The opposition has demanded that the bill be sent to a standing committee for scrutiny. The government will decide on this after assessing the sense of the Lok Sabha.
