TDP finds itself on a tightrope walk with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has found itself treading carefully over the proposed amendments in The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by the BJP-led Union government on Thursday, August 8. The Bill, which proposes around 40 amendments to the Wakf Act of 1995, has been referred to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee after strong opposition in the Lok Sabha.

While MPs of the INDIA bloc and others like All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi have been vehemently critical of the bill, BJP’s biggest coalition partner, the TDP, has taken a comparatively more subdued stance to not ruffle either the BJP or its Muslim electorate. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 introduced by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju purportedly aims to address issues pertaining to the power of state Waqf boards and registration of Waqf properties by amending the Wakf Act of 1995.

On the one hand, TDP expressed support, but on the other, also agreed to the Bill to be sent to the Parliamentary committee. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, TDP MP GM Harish Balayogi said his party “would not mind the Bill being sent to a parliamentary panel.”

“I appreciate the concern with which the government has brought this Bill. The purpose of the donors (of the Waqf land) needs to be protected. When the purpose and power get misused, it is the responsibility of the government to bring reforms and transparency in the system… (But) If wider consultations are required to remove misconceptions and wrong information… and to educate (members) on the purpose of the Bill, we have no problem sending it to a select committee,” he said on August 8.

Addressing a press conference on August 10, TDP minority cell general secretary Mohammad Fathullah argued that TDP’s intervention caused the Union government to refer the contentious Bill to a Parliamentary committee.

“Chandrababu Naidu has never had the image of someone who is anti-Muslim and the community still stands by him,” Mohammad told TNM adding that TDP MPs in the Lok Sabha spoke in favour of the Joint Committee because Naidu advised them to do so. “Palnadu MP Lavu Krishnadevaraya, who is a part of the Parliamentary committee, will voice his concerns after Naidu and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh discuss the issue with representatives of the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

Section 9(C) of the Bill, which deals with the appointment of Union government employees to the Waqf Central Council, calls for two women to be appointed. “While we welcome the clause, the Bill does not specify that they have to be Muslim women. If non-Muslim women are appointed, they may not be able to dispense justice,” Mohammad stated.

He also expressed objection to the clause appointing two non-Muslims to the state Wakf boards, saying they would weaken the board. Another clause that gives power to the District Collector to determine whether a contentious property belongs to the state government or not is being opposed heavily.

Shia clergy and members of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have also criticised the Bill for disenfranchising Muslims. “With this Bill, you (referring to the Union government) have proven that you are ‘an enemy to the Muslim community,” AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the principal opposition in Andhra Pradesh, has also spoken against the Bill in the Lok Sabha. The BJP’s second-largest coalition partner, the Janata Dal (United) also walked the same line as the TDP and did not outright criticise the bill. The party, however, found themselves drawing criticism after Union Minister and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh openly supported the legislation.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is also in a tight spot as the role of the Joint Committee remains unclear. Former Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Boards, K Rahman Khan told The Hindu that the Union government has not yet announced the committee’s terms of reference.

“They have not provided any details on what the panel’s priorities will be, aside from the Bill. Procedurally, the Bill should have been referred to a standing committee. The committees are not yet formed, which is probably why the Union government has created a joint panel,” Khan said.