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Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (PTI file photo)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as “anti-secular”, alleging that it would snatch the rights of Muslims.
Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
“The Bill is anti-federal and anti-secular. It is a deliberate attempt to malign a particular section. It will snatch the rights of Muslims… The Centre did not consult us on the Waqf Bill,” she said.
The chief minister added that “if any religion were attacked”, she would wholeheartedly condemn it.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the Bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging that they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency to the functioning of the Waqf boards and make them accountable. A parliamentary committee has been constituted to scrutinise the contentious Bill.
The chief minister said that the Waqf matters were brought under an Act during the British era in 1934 and after Independence, it was amended and there was another amendment in 1995, she said.
“The central government had tabled the Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024, primarily to amend it. I believe that if this turns into an Act, then the Waqf will be destroyed,” she said.
“The Centre should have discussed the matter with the states because, like the Central Waqf Board, there are state bodies. And this is a quasi-judicial body,” Banerjee said.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday adopted a resolution to extend the tenure of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill till the last day of the Budget Session next year.
“This Bill is against one religion. We celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Constitution on November 26. We are a secular and democratic country. Unity in diversity is our religion. This Bill is against the basic spirit of equality and the right to practise any religion,” she said.
Banerjee claimed that besides Muslims, Hindus and people belonging to other religions donate to Waqf properties for the development of the people.
“Schools, hostels and hospitals were built on Waqf land,” she said and questioned whether those living on such land would be removed using bulldozers after the Bill becomes an Act.
“Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs, Isaiah are all our friends. We are for everybody and not for a single religion. But if there is torture in any religion, we condemn this. I think this (Waqf amendment bill) has been done for political reasons,” Banerjee said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
