Waqf Bill assault on Constitution, BJP’s strategy to damage social harmony: Congress

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.

IANS