Government’s Move to Amend the Waqf Act – One More Step Forward to Destruct the Constitution

The union government’s move to amend the Waqf Act is a malicious step. It is a deliberate plan to deny the fundamental right of religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 25 – 28 of the Constitution and to sideline the Muslims as second-class citizens and enslave them.

 

It is the communal agenda to decitizenise Muslims as envisaged by the RSS ideologue Golwalkar that is being executed by the union government led by the BJP, since its ascension to power at the centre, a decade ago. Muslim places of worship are being demolished alleging illegal encroachment on one side, seized and converted to temples claiming the finding of idols beneath the mosques on the other side. Enactment of laws that adversely affect the Muslim community is going on at regular intervals. The main activities of the government at the centre and the states ruled by the BJP are focussed on harassing Muslims.

 

Waqf properties are not public properties, but properties donated by devoted Muslims for various religious purposes such as the construction of masjids, madrassas, charity and educational institutions, hospitals, and so on. The Waqf Act is already in place to monitor and control the activities of the Waqf Board and the Waqf properties, and the current move to amend this Act is anti-constitutional and arbitrary.

 

A huge extent of Waqf properties has been encroached on by many wealthy people with political clout in various parts of the country, and the government should initiate steps to reclaim such illegally encroached Waqf properties instead of imposing unnecessary curbs on using the Waqf properties.

 

SDPI strongly protests the communal agenda of the union government and demands that the government step back from this anti-constitutional move and ensure that Constitutional rights are made available to all citizens of the country without discrimination.

 

MK Faizy

National President

SDPI – Social Democratic Party of India