New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that the Waqf Amendment Bill is aimed at polarisation and will send a wrong message to the world denting the country’s secular image.
Participating in a debate on the bill in the Lower House, Yadav alleged that the bill has been introduced to manage BJP’s “diminishing” vote bank and will prove to be a “waterloo” for the BJP as some members might be claiming to support the bill but inside they are not happy about the development.
The Kannauj MP also claimed that the bill is being brought to divert attention from the “land capture” by China.
“Bringing Waqf Bill is the BJP’s political game, it is a new form of their communal politics. The BJP wants to appease those supporters who are now distancing themselves from the party because of its policies.
“As there has been a drop in the vote share, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has been trying to manage votes and this bill is being introduced for managing votes,” he said.
“BJP wants the Muslim community to feel that their rights are being attacked and the party gets to indulge in politics of polarisation because that is their agenda,” he alleged.
According to the government, the bill seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.
Tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the legislation has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties.
In his speech, Yadav demanded that the Centre should guarantee that Waqf land would not be given for other purposes using any tactics.
“Neither the policy nor the intent behind the Waqf Amendment Bill is right. This is a conspiracy to snatch lands and houses of crores of people.
“The BJP is an undemocratic party, it considers dissent as its strength. When majority political parties in the country are against it, why is the government adamant on bringing this bill,” he said.
“This bill will prove to be a waterloo for BJP because many members who are supporting right now are doing it from outside and inside they are not convinced about it,” he added.
Yadav claimed that the bill would dent the country’s secular image.
“This bill will send a wrong message to the world and will dent India’s secular image,” he said.
He also alleged that the bill is being introduced to divert attention from the deaths at the Mahakumbh and the “land being captured by China”.
“They (BJP) are saying that whether it is Railways land or Defence’s, it is India’s land. The issue bigger than Waqf land is the land where China has set up its villages. But to avoid any questions or uproar about the potential dangers, this (Waqf Amendment) bill is being introduced,” he said.
“They also want to divert attention from the deaths in Mahakumbh that they claim are only 30 even as at least 1,000 people are still missing,” he said.
