Srinagar: As the Waqf Amendment Bill is all set to be tabled in the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday reached out to two key allies of BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seeking their intervention to oppose the Bill.
Mufti on Friday wrote to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal (United ) and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National President N Chandrababu Naidu, and said the proposed Waqf amendment bill comes at a time when, for the past decade, Muslims have been systematically disenfranchised, disempowered, and marginalised politically, socially, and economically.
She criticised the consultation process as a “farce,” accusing the government of ignoring the voices of the community most impacted by the amendments.
“Perhaps what’s most concerning is the utter disregard to the misgivings raised by the opposition parties in the form of dissent notes submitted to the joint parliamentary committee. The exercise of consultation seems farcical without any genuine efforts to consult the community most affected by this unconstitutional, unconscionable, and authoritarian bill,” Mufti who is also the president of Peoples Democratic Party wrote in the letter.
“Dressed as a reform of Waqf owned properties across the country its true objective is to undermine the very foundation of the Waqf Act: to protect and preserve properties dedicated to the social and economic upliftment of Muslims for religious and charitable purposes,” she added.
The former Chief Minister alleged that each proposed amendment not only contradicts the interests of the Muslim community but also constitutes a direct assault on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“This deeply divisive bill is a clear manifestation of the majoritarianism that has fueled bigotry and the marginalization of Muslims since 2014. It strikes at the heart of the very idea of India an India that thrives on its core values of diversity, pluralism, and peaceful coexistence. The essence of Gandhi’s vision for India is being altered, undermining the secular fabric that binds this nation together,” she wrote.
Mufti called upon Kumar and Naidu, as key members of NDA, to uphold the constitutional values they have long championed and to halt what she termed an “onslaught” against communal harmony and national unity.
“You have always been a staunch believer in our Constitution and have consistently championed the spirit of Ganga – Jamuni brotherhood. Today, as key members of the NDA, you are uniquely positioned to influence this matter and halt this onslaught. I sincerely urge you to intervene and prevent this bill from causing damage to our national unity communal harmony,” she concluded.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Wednesday adopted its report by a majority vote even as all 11 Opposition members moved dissent notes on the Bill. The controversial Bill is to all set to be tabled in Parliament’s Budget session, which began today.
UNI
