Muslim groups seek BJP allies' help to scrap controversial Waqf Bill

Even as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gears up to pass this contentious Bill in the Winter Session of the Parliament next month, some Muslim organisations have urged the BJP’s alliance partners not to support it.

Muslim organisation tap regional chiefs

These outfits have particularly approached political parties such as the Janata Dal (United) or JDU, which is led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, national media coordinator of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, told The Federal, “We wanted to send a clear message to BJP’s alliance partners, especially JD(U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that the NDA government is functioning because of the support of these two parties.”

Further, he pointed out, “We are completely against the Waqf Amendment Bill and the plan to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC). We urge these two political parties not to support the Waqf Amendment Bill or any move of the government to implement UCC.”

They have also informed the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that they do not support the Waqf Amendment Bill.

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According to Rehman, they reject entirely the Waqf Amendment Bill. "We suspect that if the Bill is passed, it will only allow Waqf land to be grabbed by organisations and individuals,” Rehman added.

Muslim organisations are planning to organise three meetings to discuss this issue. The first meeting will be held in Delhi,  while the second will be held in Patna on November 24. Nitish has been invited to participate in this meeting. The third meeting will be organised in Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh in December, for which Naidu has been invited.

“We have received the confirmation from parties that the two chief ministers will attend the meeting,” Rehman said.

Problems within JPC

Fewer than a month before the Winter Session of Parliament, the ongoing brawl between the Opposition and BJP members in the JPC threaten to derail the consultation process completely.

While BJP senior leaders believe the Bill should be passed in the Winter Session, Opposition members want more time to finalise the report on the Bill. The Opposition has also alleged that the JPC is rushing through the process.

Dr Javed Azad, senior Congress parliamentarian and JPC member told The Federal, “We have two basic problems. The first is that our questions are not being answered. The written questions that JPC members send to the different stakeholders do not get answered. The second issue is that there is an attempt to finalise the report on the Bill without much discussion.”

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Also, he added, “It will be really unfortunate if the JPC prepares a report without listening to the views of the Opposition members. The way the consultations are going on, I think it will be difficult for the JPC to finalise the report.”

The problems between BJP and Congress-led Opposition have reached such a stage that the Opposition members have threatened to leave the JPC if their demands are not met. They have also requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to intervene to ensure the smooth functioning of the JPC.

The JPC should be more than a "theatrical exercise", said Azad, adding that it should do justice to all stakeholders and parliamentarians who have invested so much time in the meetings.

Notably, he said, "Anybody who knows the law will be able to say that the Bill in the present form poses a threat to Waqf properties being taken away.  Azad also felt that if the report gets finalised without consultation and the agreement of the Opposition members then it would be “unjust” towards the members.

Bihar polls

The meeting of Muslim organisations in Patna can be tricky for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who enjoys the support of the minority community in the state.

With the elections in Bihar slated to take place in November-December 2025, the support of Muslims will be crucial for JD(U) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). They need the Muslim community's support to pull off an electoral victory against Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Muslims make up 18 per cent of  the population in Bihar and can boost vote share for the two major regional parties.

The Waqf Amendment Bill and UCC is now all set to play a significant role in the Bihar assembly elections, say political analysts.

Muslim voter support

In a chat with The Federal, Dr SK Dwivedi, former professor at Lucknow University, said these are “important issues” that will clearly impact electoral politics.

“There is no doubt that Nitish Kumar would like to have the support of Muslims before the Bihar elections and he would not want to lose his voter base and let it shift to Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has enjoyed the support of Muslims for several years,” he said.

And, pointed out, “It will be interesting to see what stand Nitish Kumar or Chandrababu Naidu take on the Waqf Amendment Bill and UCC issues and whether these two leaders will oppose the BJP. These two leaders have so far not opposed BJP on any issue.” Now, it remains to be seen how they will handle this tricky issue.