Waqf (Amendment) Bill not against religious beliefs of any community: Maha CM 

Mumbai, April 2 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the Waqf (Amended) Bill has given representation to women in the Waqf Board, which is a very progressive step. 

“This bill is not against the religious beliefs of any community. Those who have a conscience will support this Bill. “The new Bill has given an opportunity to correct mistakes. Women also got representation. A very progressive step has been taken. This is not against any religious beliefs. Some were taking advantage of mistakes and shaking the ground; no MP with a conscience will oppose this Bill. The opposition was left unanswered in the JPC. The opposition is doing this to manipulate votes,” he claimed.

The Chief Minister added that those whose conscience is still alive and who still want to follow Balasaheb Thackeray’s thoughts will support the Bill.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis targeted the Shiv Sena UBT, saying that, “Let us see if UBT will uphold the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray, the Hinduhruday Samrat and the venerable Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, or will he continue to follow in the footsteps of Rahul Gandhi and continue to do appeasement.”

Shiv Sena Deputy Sanjay Nirupam also launched a sharp attack on Sena UBT, accusing the party of compromising its principles for Muslim votes by opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

He added that while all NDA allies, including Shiv Sena, support the Bill, opposition parties are attempting to derail it under the pretext of secularism. He pointed out that Sena UBT itself is divided on the issue.

“There are internal differences among Sena UBT’s nine MPs regarding the Bill. Some, who still uphold the ideology of Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray, are inclined to support it. Until late last night, intense discussions were ongoing within the party,” Nirupam revealed.

However, he asserted that Sena UBT will ultimately oppose the Bill due to its political dependence on Muslim votes.

“When the bill was first introduced, Sena UBT MPs avoided the discussion. Now, the real test begins - will Uddhav Thackeray, who claims to uphold Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy, oppose much-needed reforms and take an anti-Balasaheb stance?”

He further questioned whether Sena UBT had fully embraced Congress’s vote bank agenda, abandoning its Hindutva identity in favor of appeasement politics.

Nirupam also slammed opposition parties for misleading the Muslim community about the Bill. He explained that the Sachar Commission, which examined the economic and social conditions of Muslims, had itself recommended transparency in Waqf Board operations.