Calcutta. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Waqf Amendment Bill is an attack on the federal structure of the country. He claimed that this bill would take away the rights of Muslims. He said the Center did not consult us on this bill. This bill is an attack on Muslims and we do not support it. We will oppose it. Various communities, including non-Muslims, donate to Waqf properties and the money is used for welfare and development works such as setting up schools, building houses, providing scholarships, etc.
Mamta clearly said that the rights of Muslims will be taken away from the Waqf Bill. I think (the bill) has been done for political reasons. The Chief Minister said that if any religion is attacked, she will condemn it wholeheartedly. Opposition parties have strongly criticized the bill’s proposed amendments to the current Waqf Law and alleged that such amendments violate the religious rights of Muslims. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that the amendment will bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf Board and hold them accountable. A parliamentary committee has been formed to investigate this controversial bill.
The Chief Minister said that matters related to Waqf were included in a law of 1934 during the British era and it was amended after independence and another amendment was made in 1995. He said that the Central Government brought the bill in Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024, the main objective of which was to amend it. I think if this law is enacted, the Waqf will end. The Center should have spoken to the states on this issue because like the Central Waqf Board, it is also a state body. And it is a quasi-judicial body.
