The Tamil Nadu government on March 27, introduced a resolution in the state Assembly against the Union government’s Waqf Amendment Bill, saying the Bill is an attempt to “allow political interference and curtail religious freedom.” The resolution, demanding a complete withdrawal of the Bill in Parliament, was passed with support from nearly all parties in the state including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone opposed the move and staged a walk out.
“There are several reasons we are opposing the Bill,” Chief Minister MK Stalin said, adding, “The Bill heightens Union government control while diminishing the authority of the national and state Wafq boards. This goes against their autonomy. Waqf land that has been declared government property before or after the implementation of the Bill will cease to belong to the Waqf board, allowing the government the power to reclassify such assets. The Bill says that only those who have been practising Islam for five years or more can create a Waqf board, leading to the worry that Waqf boards created by non-Muslims will be invalidated. The Union government is attempting to create separate boards for the two Muslim sects. The Bill also aims to cancel election procedures to Waqf board and chairpersonship. It also mandates that two non-Muslims must be on the board. This is an interference in Muslim religious administration.”
The CM further said that the Bill’s aim to revoke section 40 of the Wafq Act will invalidate the board’s power to identify property, transferring the said power to the Union government instead. “This is a violation of freedom of religion under Article 26 of the Constitution.
The Union government also plans to remove the category ‘Waqf by user’ which will do away with the tradition of recognizing assets as Waqf properties based on their long-term use. It is also said that a statute of limitations called the ‘Limitation Act’ will be applied on Waqf properties. Lastly, trusts and public charities will no longer be considered Waqf.”
The CM also pointed out that the DMK’s representatives in the Joint Parliamentary Committee for the proposed Bill have already registered the aforementioned concerns, as have other political parties.
“But the Committee has rejected the suggestion of the Opposition,” Stalin said, adding, “The Union Cabinet has also approved the decisions of the Committee. At this stage, the Waqf Amendment Bill can be tabled in Parliament at any time. I feel it is urgent to register our protest against this Bill that aims to deceive Muslims.
The CM reiterated that, “The Waqf Bill deeply deceives Muslims. We must oppose it. The Bill aims to dismantle the Waqf board itself in time, so we must resist it.”
He also alleged, “The Union government’s schemes are always aimed at deceiving certain communities. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) deceived Muslims and Sri Lankan Tamils. Hindi imposition deceives the states that do not speak Hindi. The states that aren’t ruled by the BJP are deceived by refusing them funds. Their anti-social justice activities deceive Dalit, Adivasi, Most Backward Class (MBC) and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities. We all know that NEET and National Education Policy (NEP) deceive the most vulnerable people.”
The resolution has received the support of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) AIADMK and the DMK’s allies the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Left parties and others. The AIDMK’s support is particularly noteworthy as it comes days after party general secretary Edappadi K Palanisami (EPS) met with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, fanning speculations of an alliance revival. Also notably, the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai is reportedly set to meet with Amit Shah this week.