Editor,
The Waqf Amendment Bill has been referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which is against the culture of the BJP in its previous avatar when 146 members were suspended from Parliament before important Bills were bulldozed. Now it’s a coalition government and the BJP cannot take unilateral decisions. It was because the BJP earlier was a single party majority that it could pass bills on core issues such as abrogation of Article 370, constructing the Ram temple at Ayodhya and Triple Talaq. Now the BJP has to mend its ways of functioning in the present scenario.
It is a known fact that the BJP would lose its raison d’etre and relevance if there were no Muslims for it to target in the pursuit of politics which was evident from the just concluded parliament elections. As far as the present Bill is concerned the ill-intent of the government in bringing in the Bill is evident in the slew of amendments proposed. Due to this reason the Opposition parties demanded that it be sent to the JPC and the Government had to accept that. A law should not be a ploy for transferring lands in the possession of Muslims to rich individuals/companies like Adani and Ambani and such other corporate honchos. The Bill provides for representation of non-Muslims in the Waqf Council and the state Waqf boards. This is resented by many Muslims leaders. By this logic, non-Hindus should also be represented in organisations that govern temples and which own temple properties!
The mind boggles at the BJP’s conception of ‘inclusivity! The Bill assigns a pivotal role to a ‘full-time chief executive officer ‘as a government appointee and a government representative; it amounts to interference in the internal affairs of a religious community. The most consequential amendment is the one that repeals Section 40 of the existing Act and strips the Waqf Board of its power to decide and declare if a property is a Waqf asset or not and vests the power in the District Collector. It is a clear instance of implementing Hindutva agenda in the name of correcting past mistakes but such conceptions should not poison the minds of Muslims as this is harmful in a democratic country.
The passage of the Bill, after scrutiny by the JPC seems a distinct possibility, given that the BJP and its allies like the JD (U) and the TDP are on the same page on the issue and even Chirag Paswan had his own reservations. But then, it is inevitably likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional as we had seen the apex court striking down many decisions òf the Government. It is the general impression that a contentious bill to amend 44 sections of the Waqf Act of 1995 is nothing but a direct interference in another’s religion and those amendments are not acceptable to many Muslims. Hence the Bill has been referred to the JPC. We also have to bear in mind that Mamata Banerjee is against any JPC and the same is the case with the NCP. Sharad Pawar says that in any JPC the majority will be from the ruling party and whatsoever the ruling party wants the same will be done. The example before us is that of Mahua Moitra. The Government knows very well that the Waqf Board owns a lot of land and the intention is to grab the land by amendments in the Waqf Act.
The Government says its aim is to reform the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal but it has not gone well with the Muslims. It is the duty of the Government to remove doubts from the minds of Muslims. It is precisely because of such misunderstanding that the farmers’ agitation has continued for more than a year now. During the agitation many farmers lost their lives. The agitation is still carrying on for the past few months.
Now the Muslims are frustrated about the Bill and are opposing it because the intention of the Bill is to sell land belonging to the community and in the interest of the BJP Party and its leaders. The meaning of Waqf itself is to dedicate one’s own property in the name of God for religious and charitable purposes and Waqf properties are private and self-acquired properties of the followers of Islam. Muslims believe that introducing the Waqf Bill in the name of reforms is nothing but cheating.
During an hour-long discussion on the introduction of the Bill, the Opposition members said that the proposed legislation violated constitutional principles of freedom of religion and criticised the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Waqf Boards. The reason the Bill was referred to the JPC is because the Opposition parties called it anti-federal and unconstitutional. The Government claims that it is to ensure that the inheritance rights of women are not denied and that it also provides for the establishment of a separate Board of Waqf for Bohras and Agha Khanis.
Opposition parties cited Article 14, 25 and 26 to oppose the Bill. They said that the provision that non-Muslims can also be part of the Council is a direct attack on the faith and freedom of religion. The Opposition parties said that now the BJP is going for Muslims, next they will target Parsis, Jains and Christians. The Bill violates federal principles since land as stated in the 7th schedule is a state subject. Also, many old mosques are in danger now. Suddenly there is a PIL and archaeologists are sent there and they discover there was a temple before the mosque was built. This modus operandi has caused hate, division and anger among the people of the country. Agitations are now happening in many states. This is certainly not a good omen for India!
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email
Repair & life extension of Umiam Dam
Editor,
The repair and life extension works of the Umiam Dam , being the lifeline for us in Meghalaya has finally been completed. This is a very commendable job executed by the Team of MeECL led by a most competent Minister. As one who has carried out design and construction of several dams and power houses I know the extreme pain and whole-hearted commitment that the Honourable Minister had to take in getting this work done . This could be one of the best things to happen here. Congratulations to him and his team.
For further growth of the Organisation may I suggest that the Honourable Minister apply his kind attention to similar works needed in the Power Houses, besides taking care of leakages in the water conductor system and not least the welfare of the employees posted in the Power Houses.
Yours etc.,
Utpal Moral,
Shillong