Caught between BJP and minority anger, TMC risks backlash over Waqf data

The West Bengal government’s haste to register Waqf property data could deepen anxieties within the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) — already under strain over its minority vote base.

The party faces a delicate balancing act, caught between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) assertive Hindutva campaign, which pressures it to avoid any perception of minority appeasement, and a section of its Muslim leaders vocal about asserting the minority identity.

TMC's minority leaders upset?

In a sign of fresh tension, the state’s minority affairs and madrasa education department’s directive to all district administrations to upload detailed records of Waqf lands onto the Centre’s Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) portal by December 5 has not augured well among an influential section of the party’s minority leaders.

Also read: Muslim bodies welcome SC’s Waqf Act verdict but call it ‘incomplete’

For years, the TMC projected itself as a bulwark against what it described as the BJP’s anti-minority tirades.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, passed by Parliament, was among the measures Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee government had sparred with in the past, arguing that it encroached upon state autonomy and could enable intrusive scrutiny of minority assets.

The sudden administrative push to implement the very system the party had once opposed is being read as a political reversal.

“This sends a confusing message to our people,” a senior TMC minority leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Also read: ‘Citizenship under question’: Mamata alleges NRC is objective behind SIR

“We had opposed central interference in Waqf affairs. Now everyone is asking, what has changed?”

“Once everything is on a central server, it becomes very easy for anyone, be it courts, parties or agencies, to raise questions about ownership or valuation. People fear misuse,” he added.

TMC detractors are quick to point out the volte-face of the party government.

'Mamata bowed to the law'

“After spending months provoking the Muslim community to oppose the Waqf Amendment Act, Mamata Banerjee has finally bowed to the law. Seven months later, the West Bengal government has accepted the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. All District Magistrates have now been instructed to upload details of every Waqf property onto the central UMEED portal. The directive came through PB Salim, Secretary of the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department, in a letter to all DMs. In short, West Bengal will have to run as per the law of the land and the Constitution, not Mamata Banerjee’s politics of obstruction,” wrote BJP leader Amit Malviya on his X handle.

Indian Secular Front (ISF) legislator and “Pirzada” of Furfura Sharif Naushad Siddiqui, also took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata, accusing her of double standards.

Also read: SIR in Bengal | CM Mamata objecting, 'TMC goons' threatening BLOs: BJP

“Today, Mamata Banerjee’s hypocrisy has been exposed for everyone to see. Her face and her mask have come apart in front of the people,” he told The Federal. “Earlier, she used to say that the amended Waqf Act would not be implemented in Bengal. And now, suddenly, under the pretext of registering Waqf properties, she has implemented the amended law passed by the Centre.”

The ISF leader further alleged that the state government is consistently resorting to double standards. As an example, Naushad pointed to the state’s opposition to the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls, noting that while the TMC campaigns against SIR across the state, the administration is simultaneously being mobilised to ensure its smooth implementation.

"The chief minister had stated that the Wakf law would not be implemented in the state, yet her administration is now issuing orders to enforce it. Minority communities need to take note of this shift," he added.

West Bengal has 82,600 Waqf properties spread across 8,063 estates, making the registration a colossal administrative task even under ideal circumstances.

Also read: Bengal: Rebel TMC MP to float new party amid discontent over new OBC policy

The UMEED portal requires 46 separate data fields for each property, ranging from historical details such as the year of declaration to more general information like market value, area measurements, particulars of caretaker (mutawalli), and bank account documentation.

Many district officials and Waqf board members privately told the media that completing this by the deadline is virtually impossible. Such pressure has exacerbated distrust among local caretakers, many of whom fear mismanagement, bureaucratic harassment or worse, appropriation of Waqf properties.

Among TMC’s own senior minority leaders, the disquiet is palpable.

Siddiqullah Chowdhury, state minister and current president of the West Bengal Jamiat-e-Ulama, is said to be particularly troubled by what he views as a policy backslide.

Although he has not issued any public ultimatum, being mindful of the state government’s predicament, party insiders say he expressed his concerns to the top leadership after the administrative order was circulated.

Also read: SC ruling on Waqf Act : 'This is a win; draconian parts stayed' | Interview

He reportedly conveyed to the chief minister that she should at least take up the issue with the Centre to seek an extension of the registration deadline and a simplification of the process. Siddiqullah did not respond to calls from The Federal seeking his comment.

Explaining the party’s predicament, a TMC leader said that although a case concerning Waqf matters is pending before the Supreme Court, and the apex court has issued interim stays on several other provisions, it has left the record-registration requirement untouched. According to him, non-compliance with the registration process could have drawn judicial ire.

The state government, he added, was unwilling to take that risk, as the BJP and other Hindutva groups would portray any such censure as the fallout of appeasing minorities.

TMC puts up brave front

While steering clear of any allegations of minority appeasement, the ruling party is also trying to put up a bold front before the minorities, emphasising that giving a nod to the registration process is not tantamount to accepting the amended Waqf Act.

Also read: Tainted lists, protests, SC ruling: How Bengal’s SSC row has become a political flashpoint

Senior TMC leader and Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim claimed that the state does not support the amended law passed by the Centre. Instead, he said, all Waqf properties belong to the government, which is why they are being documented and uploaded on the official website.

“Registering Waqf properties has nothing to do with accepting the amended Waqf Act. We are committed to protecting Waqf assets. These properties are essentially government-owned, and the Waqf Board is part of the government. That is why we are recording them and putting the information online,” Hakim, who is also the mayor of Kolkata, told reporters.

Political observers, however, say that such damage-control measures may not always be effective, as there is a sense among minorities that they have been taken for granted by the TMC government for years.

'How long can TMC fool minorities?'

“How long can the TMC keep fooling the minorities? Earlier, the chief minister had told the minorities, during her visit to Murshidabad, that anyone wanting to protest over Waqf should go to Delhi. If that was an indication of her government’s intent, the latest decision is testament to the fact that the state government will not seek confrontation with the Centre beyond a certain limit,” said political commentator and writer Md Saduddin.

The TMC should be careful not to ignore the growing discontent among a section of the minority community, particularly the educated,” he said, adding that the directive on Waqf property registration could prove to be the proverbial last straw.

The timing of the latest development could scarcely be more sensitive.

The reorganisation of the state’s OBC list, which the government has championed as a corrective measure, has not been universally welcomed by backward Muslim communities.

Many complain that the changes may not substantially improve their access to jobs or education, creating a perception that the exercise was driven by optics rather than meaningful redistribution.

Also read: Massive mismatches, missing names plague Bengal’s SIR

“People are asking us, what do we actually get out of this?” said disgruntled TMC MLA Humayun Kabir. “If the benefits do not reach the ground, then symbolism will not work forever.”

A few thousand Muslim youths, under the aegis of the Progressive Intellectuals of Bengal, staged a protest march in Murshidabad in October against changes to the OBC list, a development widely seen as indicative of growing minority unease that TMC leaders like Kabir have been flagging.

They alleged that the new list, published after a fresh survey earlier in 2025, had removed several Muslim‑dominated backward communities from the OBC “A” category (which carries higher reservation benefits) while inserting some Hindu sub‑castes into OBC‑A and putting many Muslim sub‑castes in OBC‑B (a lower‑benefit category).

They demanded the restoration of the earlier list or a fresh survey and urged the state government to increase the OBC quota ceiling so that communities that were dropped or downgraded do not lose out. Neither of the demands has been taken into consideration by the government.

Adding to the TMC’s minority woes, several Muslim leaders have become increasingly vocal as the party tries to consolidate its support in districts where the minority vote is decisive.

MLA Kabir's Babri Masjid plan in Bengal

The most visible flashpoint has been the ‘rebellion’ of Kabir, the Bharatpur MLA, who has publicly threatened to resign and announced plans to lay the foundation stone for a reconstructed Babri Masjid in Murshidabad on December 6, the anniversary of the mosque’s demolition.

Though Kabir insists he is acting “in defence of community dignity,” his moves are widely regarded as a direct challenge to the party’s disciplinary authority, and as a reflection of simmering discontent among sections of the Muslim leadership.