Mohammad bin Ismail | Clarion India
MUMBAI – The Waqf Amendment Bill, which on Thursday cleared the parliamentary hurdle, has attracted severe criticism and sparked a nationwide outcry.
The legislation is being widely labelled as an unconstitutional move aimed at seizing Waqf properties and handing them over to industrialists and builders close to the ruling BJP dispensation . Protests have erupted across the country, with opposition parties calling it a deliberate attempt to target the Muslim community and create communal unrest.
Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh strongly condemned the bill, terming it unconstitutional under Article 26 of the Indian Constitution.
“Article 26 guarantees every religious community the right to manage its own religious institutions,” said Sheikh. “This bill is an attack on Muslim rights and a clear attempt to weaken the waqf system. The BJP is spreading misinformation that Muslims can arbitrarily declare properties as waqf, but the truth is that waqf properties are declared after a thorough survey by government-appointed officials.”
Sheikh further criticised the government for ignoring suggestions from the Muslim community and opposition parties. “All waqf boards and trusts have been placed under direct government control, which has severely weakened the autonomy of the waqf system,” he added.
NCP leader and former Minister, Jitendra Uhaad, accused govt of using the bill to divert attention from critical national issues
“Why does the government not want people to ask questions about inflation, unemployment, falling rupee value, rising fuel prices, and farmer suicides?” Uhaad questioned at a press conference in Mumbai. “By interfering in religious matters, the government is violating the fundamental rights of citizens. Waqf lands were donated by Muslim elders for religious and educational purposes, not for commercial exploitation.”
Uhaad demanded that if the government is truly concerned about waqf land misuse, it should introduce laws ensuring these properties are used only for public welfare. “If the government wants to take over waqf properties, why not apply the same rules to Hindu, Christian, and other religious properties?” he asked.
Maharashtra Congress leader Harsh Vardhan Sapkal accused the BJP govt of using the bill to hand over waqf lands to its corporate allies.
“This is nothing but a land grab under the guise of reform,” said Sapkal at a press conference at Tilak Bhawan, Mumbai. “First, they gave away Dharavi land to Adani. Then, they handed over Konkan lands to corporate giants under the pretext of Shaktipeeth Marg development. Now, they are targeting waqf properties to benefit their capitalist friends.”
Sapkal warned that the bill poses a direct threat to the religious and social rights of Indian Muslims. “If the government is serious about waqf land protection, why is it only targeting Muslim lands? Will the government also seize lands belonging to Hindu temples, Christian churches, or Sikh gurdwaras?” he questioned.
As the controversy over the Waqf Amendment Bill intensifies, protests by Indian Muslims continue to spread across the country. Demonstrations have been held in major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, with religious leaders, social activists, and political representatives calling for the immediate withdrawal of the bill.
“This bill is a direct attack on our religious identity,” said Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. “Waqf properties were donated by our forefathers for the welfare of the community. No government has the right to take them away.”
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind also issued a strong statement condemning the bill. “The government is deliberately creating religious tensions to distract the public from real economic and social issues,” said Syed Sadatullah Husaini, the organisation’s president.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut also took a firm stand against the bill, dismissing the BJP’s narrative that it has nothing to do with Hindutva.
“This is a deliberate attempt to spread unrest,” Raut said. “There is no connection between the Waqf Bill and Hindutva. This is just another BJP ploy to polarise society and consolidate its vote bank.”
Despite government assurances, opposition leaders and Muslim organisations remain steadfast in their resistance to the Waqf Amendment Bill.
“We will not allow our religious institutions to be taken away,” said AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi. “The Muslim community will fight this bill at every level – legally, politically, and through mass movements.”
Legal experts have also weighed in, stating that if the bill is passed, it will likely face constitutional challenges in the Supreme Court.
The Waqf Amendment Bill has become a major flashpoint in Indian politics, with the opposition and Muslim organisations seeing it as a direct assault on their religious and constitutional rights. As nationwide protests continue, it remains to be seen how the government will navigate the growing resistance and whether legal interventions will overturn the controversial legislation.
For now, Indian Muslims and opposition leaders are determined to ensure that waqf properties remain protected for future generations, resisting what they perceive as a targeted effort to dispossess them of their historical and religious assets.
