Jamiat cautions NDA partners, says ‘crutches’ cannot escape responsibility for Waqf Bill

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind vows to protect Constitution against proposed amendments to Waqf Act, urging NDA allies to oppose government.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the oldest Muslim organisation in the country, has decided to step up its opposition to the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act.

At a ‘Save the Constitution’ convention in New Delhi, the Jamiat vowed not only to protect the “living document of our nation” but also reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party government and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners that the proposed changes to the Act will be “opposed tooth and nail” with large scale “protests, seminars and marches” across the country.

It urged the NDA partners, notably Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United), to pay heed to the Muslim sentiments on the contentious issue, and to refrain from supporting the government.

“The government is dependent on two crutches [the JD(U) and the TDP] for the majority in the Lok Sabha. As such the crutches cannot evade responsibility,” Arshad Madani, president of the Jamiat, told the media. “I firmly believe without their support the Bill cannot be passed. It is for these secular allies to assert themselves. I urge Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar not to be misused by the ruling dispensation,” Mr. Madani said.

Linking the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act with the Constitution’s basic framework, Mr. Madani said, “The secular Constitution of India has granted every citizen the freedom of religion, the right to adopt a religion of their choice, and to propagate it. This Constitution has also provided us with complete freedom to establish and manage our educational institutions.

However, the fundamental question is - where is this religious freedom? Sometimes, there are conspiracies to shut down these madrasas, and at other times, the idea of implementing a Uniform Civil Code is raised. The proposed amendments to the Waqf Act are currently our biggest concern, as they plan to usurp Waqf properties. Such actions and efforts are clear violations of the Directive Principles of the Constitution. Therefore, we assert that protecting the Constitution is essential.”

Earlier, addressing a large gathering of Jamiat workers besides others, Mr. Madani said, “The greatest threat today is to the secular Constitution, which grants equal rights and powers to all citizens. This Constitution also provides special rights to the minorities, but there are now attempts to take away these rights. It is for all political parties to resist such attempts by the BJP government.”