Naidu under pressure from TDP's Muslim leaders to oppose Waqf Bill

Amaravati, Nov 3 (IANS) Telugu Desam Party President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is under pressure from Muslim leaders of the party to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, as they say it harms the interests of the community.  

With the report of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill likely to be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament, TDP’s Muslim leaders have urged Naidu not to support the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, party sources said.

The TDP is a key partner of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and its support is crucial for passing the Bill in the Parliament. The party has still not taken a final decision on the issue.

Political analysts say the Waqf Amendment Bill is the first test for Naidu’s secular image since he joined the NDA government.

A delegation of Muslim leaders, led by the AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi, had met Naidu in Amaravati on October 23 and urged him to oppose Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the Parliament.

Accompanied by Minister for Minority Welfare N. Md Farooq and former Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Mohammed Ahmed Shariff, the delegation presented a memorandum to Naidu. The leaders had explained to the Chief Minister how the amendments proposed by the Narendra Modi government to the Waqf Act would be detrimental to Waqfs.

The TDP chief assured the delegation that the party would take an appropriate decision after a discussion with stakeholders over the issue.

As a follow-up to this meeting, the TDP sent its state Vice-President V.S. Ameer Babu to New Delhi to meet the leaders of AIMPLB and other organisations to discuss their objections to the Bill. Claiming that the TDP is against the Bill, he said it was not in the interest of the community.

He mentioned that Naidu has already made it clear that a board running a religious institution should have members of only that community as its members.

Muslim groups have been opposing the Waqf Bill also on the ground that it proposes to appoint non-Muslims as members of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards.

Asserting that Naidu is a secular leader, he said the TDP chief would take into account the sentiments of the Muslim community while making a decision.

The TDP leader said that a public meeting would be held in Andhra Pradesh on December 15 against the Waqf Bill. This public meeting proposed to be organised by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is also likely to be attended by Naidu.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is holding a public meeting at Vijayawada on Sunday evening to highlight how state interference poses a threat to religious freedom. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President Syed Sadatullah Hussaini and All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson S. Qasim Rasul Ilyas will be the key speakers at the public meeting, for which Jamaat has invited Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanadh Nani of the TDP.

Senior TDP leader Ahmed Shariff is also scheduled to address the public meeting.

With 16 MPs, the TDP is the second-largest party in the NDA after the BJP. The party is also sharing power with the BJP and the Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP’s Muslim leaders point out that during the election campaign, their leader had made it clear that the TDP would never compromise on secularism. At every public meeting, Naidu recalled that as a partner or outside supporter of coalition governments in the past, the TDP always worked to protect the interests of minorities.

While the Narendra Modi government claims that it brought the Bill to protect Waqf properties, AIMPLB and other Muslim groups say that the amendments would destroy the Waqf. They argue that the amendments would have an adverse impact on the very purpose of Waqf and the management of Waqf properties. Terming the Bill as a retrograde step to target the Muslim community and Waqf institutions, they alleged that a divisive agenda was being pushed through the controversial bill.

The Bill was introduced in the Parliament in August but following opposition from Congress and other parties, it was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

The panel under the leadership of Jagdambika Pal visited various states and held consultations with various stakeholders. The JPC is in the final stage of consultations and is likely to prepare its report by the end of November. The same will be tabled in the Parliament during the winter session.