Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Thursday, April 3, condemned the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha and said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court. Addressing the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, CM Stalin declared, “Tamil Nadu will fight, and it will succeed in this fight.” DMK legislators wore black badges during the Assembly session as a mark of protest against the Bill’s passage in the Lok Sabha.
CM Stalin said that on March 27, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed a resolution urging the withdrawal of the Waqf Amendment Bill, citing that it undermines religious harmony and adversely affects the minority Muslim community. “A majority of political parties across India opposed this Bill. Yet, it was passed in the Lok Sabha, which is highly condemnable. Though it was cleared by the House, one should not ignore the significant number of votes against it,” he said.
The Chief Minister noted that 232 members opposed the Bill, underscoring that this was not a negligible figure. “The Opposition could have been even stronger. This law must be completely withdrawn,” he asserted.
CM Stalin also criticised the timing and manner in which the Bill was passed. “Introducing and passing such a sensitive legislation at 2 am, disregarding opposition from a majority of the country’s political parties, is a direct attack on the Constitution of India and an attempt to disturb communal harmony,” he said, retiterating that the DMK would challenge the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Supreme Court.
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill in the early hours of Thursday, April 3, after a 12-hour-long debate. A total of 288 members voted in favour, while 232 opposed it. Despite extensive opposition, all amendments moved by opposition members were rejected through voice votes.
During the debate, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) defended the Bill, claiming it was designed to benefit minority communities. However, opposition parties criticised it as being “anti-Muslim” and detrimental to the principles of secularism.
In his response, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that minorities in India are safe and secure. “There is no place in the world safer than India for minorities. They are protected because the majority in India is completely secular,” he stated.
The DMK’s decision to move the Supreme Court against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill aligns with its history of challenging contentious legislations. The party has previously contested the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and the Places of Worship Act, which maintains the status quo of religious sites as of August 15, 1947.
In November 2023, the DMK filed an additional affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the CAA, arguing that it violates India’s secular fabric.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 verdict upholding the 10% EWS reservation, the DMK challenged the judgement. The party argued that EWS quotas disproportionately favor upper castes without considering historical discrimination, calling it a “luxurious reservation” for privileged groups.