NDA key ally TDP's Muslim leaders raise objections to Waqf Bill

TDP leaders sought wider consultations with all the stakeholders, especially Muslim religious organisations, before the bill was passed.

Hyderabad: Muslim minority leaders of the NDA's key ally, the TDP, raised objections to at least 44 sections of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha and later sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

They sought wider consultations with all the stakeholders, especially Muslim religious organisations, before the bill was passed. “Very soon we are going to meet the member of the JPC, Guntur MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu, to apprise him about our objections and concerns with the bill,” TDP minority cell state general secretary Muhammad Fathullah told DH.

Speaking to DH, Fathullah described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as harmful and credited TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu for sending the bill to JPC. Coincidentally, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, one of the members of the JPC, is the TDP's parliamentary chairperson.

"Our leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu has made significant efforts to send the Waqf Board Amendment Bill to the JPC, despite being part of the NDA coalition, ” he said. Implementing the Waqf Board Amendment Bill, Fathullah warned, would weaken the Waqf Board, which holds some of the largest assets in India.

He argued that any amendments should strengthen, not undermine, the institution. “The bill proposes the cancellation of the Waqf Survey Commission, transferring its powers to collectors, which are potentially biased and detrimental to the protection of Waqf assets. The Waqf Survey Commission should continue to function. This will lead to 'Collector Raj' . There is also no specification that two women who would be part of the national body are Mulsim,” added Fathullah.

The TDP's Muslim leader also criticised the bill’s provision to include non-Muslims in the State Wakf Board Committee and the removal of the requirement for the Waqf Board CEO to be a Muslim. He demanded a reassessment of these provisions and an amendment to the bill that fortifies the Waqf Board.

He urged that the Waqf Board Amendment Bill be reviewed with consultations from Muslim intellectuals and major Muslim organisations such as the Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Tablighi Jamaat, Ahle Hadis, Deoband, and Barelvi organisations.