The government and the opposition locked horns over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday with the opposition tagging the bill "an attack on the constitution."
Just after Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought leave to introduce the bill, the Congress raised its voice, stating the bill was "specialised for the Maharashtra and Haryana elections."
Congress leader K C Venugopal said: "We are Hindus but at the same time, we respect the faith of other religions. This bill is specialised for the Maharashtra and Haryana elections. The last time the people of India clearly taught you a lesson yet you don't learn from it. This is an attack on the federal system," he said.
"This is a draconian law and a fundamental attack on the Constitution," Venugopal said.
The Congress leader said the Centre's provision that non-Muslims be made members of the Waqf Governing Council was a direct attack on freedom of religion. "Next you will go for Christians, then Jains...People of India will not buy this kind of divisive politics now," Venugopal added.
Besides Congress, Samajawadi Party MP Mohibullah Nadvi too hit out at the bill, stating it was against freedom of religion. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay too opposed the introduction of the bill, calling it divisive, anti-constitutional and anti-federalism.
DMK MP Kanimozhi too said the bill was against the Constitution, a religious minority and federalism. "It shuns justice in every possible way," she added. "It is a direct violation of Article 30 which deals with minorities to administer their institutions. This bill targets a particular religious group," she said.
Meanwhile, JD(U) MP & Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan slammed the opposition, ruling out allegations that the bill was against Muslims.
"How is it against Muslims? This law is being made to bring transparency. The opposition is comparing it with temples, they are diverting from the main issue. KC Venugopal (Congress) should explain how thousands of Sikhs were killed…which taxi driver killed Indira Gandhi? Now, they are talking about minorities," Ranjan added.
The bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards proposes changes in the Wakf Act, 1995, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies. It also aims at renaming the act to the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. It was circulated among Lok Sabha members on Tuesday night.