Waqf Bill assault on Constitution, BJP's strategy to damage
Waqf Bill assault on Constitution, BJP's strategy to damage social harmony: Congress
The Congress party accused the BJP of "diluting Constitutional provisions that guarantee equal rights and protections to all citizens, regardless of religion".
NEW DELHI — The Congress has termed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 an
"assault" on the Constitution and alleged that the proposed
legislation was "part of the BJP's strategy to damage the centuries-old
bonds of social harmony".
In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, Congress leader
Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of demonising the minorities.
"The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is part of the BJP’s
strategy and continuing attempts to damage the centuries-old bonds of social
harmony in our uniquely multi-religious society; demonise minority communities
by spreading false propaganda and creating prejudices; defaming traditions and
institutions of minority communities to keep our society in a state of
permanent polarization for electoral gains," the statement read.
The Congress party accused the BJP of "diluting
Constitutional provisions that guarantee equal rights and protections to all
citizens, regardless of religion".
The statement listed five specific points to show that the
Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was deeply flawed.
These five reasons given are: All the institutions created
by previous laws to administer waqfs (national council, state boards and
tribunals are actively sought to be reduced in stature, composition and
authority so as to deliberately deprive the community of the right to
administer its own religious traditions and affairs.
Deliberate ambiguity has been introduced for determining who
can donate their land for waqf purposes thus altering the very definition of
waqf itself.
The waqf-by-user concept developed by the nation’s judiciary
on the basis of long, continued and uninterrupted customary usage is being
abolished.
Provisions in the existing law are being removed without any
reason just to weaken the administration of the waqf. Enhanced defences are now
being introduced in the law to protect those who have encroached on waqf lands.
Far-reaching powers have been given to the Collector and
other designated state government officers on matters related to disputes
concerning waqf properties as well as their registration. Officers of the state
governments will now have the power to derecognize any waqf on anyone’s
complaint or on a mere allegation of the waqf property being a government
property till a final decision is taken.
The Congress also accused the JPC of not discussing the bill
clause by clause.
"It bears recall that a 428-page report was literally
bulldozed through the JPC without it ever having gone through a detailed
clause-by-clause discussion. It thus violates all Parliamentary practices. Most
fundamentally, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is an assault on the
Constitution of India itself," the statement adds.
