The minority cell of Trinamool Congress (TMC) organised a rally to protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Kolkata on Saturday. Despite rain in the city since morning, senior party members such as Kalyan Banerjee, Firhad Hakim, Nadimul Haque and Javed Khan among others participated in the rally at Rani Rashmoni avenue.
Introduced in Parliament earlier this year, the bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act, 1995 addressing challenges in regulating and managing waqf properties. Its objective is to streamline the functioning of waqf boards and enhance the effective management of these properties.
Banerjee, who is a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that is currently probing the bill, addressed the rally, saying that the BJP-led central government is violating the Constitution of India with the proposed amendments.
He stated, “Waqf means dedication of the property to Allah. The moment I dedicate, Allah becomes the owner of the property. Article 26 of the Constitution of India guarantees [religious denominations] the freedom to manage their own religious affairs. Thus, if any religious faith is directly or indirectly attacked by any bill, it violates Article 26,” the MP from Serampore added.
Meanwhile, Firhad Hakim, the Mayor of Kolkata, accused the BJP government at the Centre of attempting to disturb the peace and unity between Hindus and Muslims and incite communal tensions in society.
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He also addressed the attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, alleging that the BJP was using these incidents as a pretext to justify targeting Muslims in India. “It’s the responsibility of the majority to protect minorities. What they did in Bangladesh was wrong but it doesn’t mean we will do the same in India. India is a secular country,” Hakim said.
The Trinamool Congress has opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 from the outset. Party MPs in both Houses of Parliament have voiced their resistance to the bill.
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had also formally opposed the bill in the state assembly, arguing that the proposed amendments would not only disrupt the management of waqf properties but they also undermined the country's federal structure.
