Jammu: Several socio-political activists and religious scholars in Jammu have strongly condemned the BJP-led Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill for rejecting all 44 amendments proposed by 15 opposition MPs, calling it, “war against Indian Muslims". Moreover, they have accused the JPC of adopting “a dictatorial and undemocratic procedure.”
Addressing a joint press conference here in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, the chairman of United Peace Alliance (UPA) Shahid Saleem alleged that the proposed amendments to the Waqf Amendment Bill were aimed only at snatching the lands and properties of the Muslims across India, which they have dedicated in the name of Allah for the benefit and upliftment of the people. “Muslims in India are being discriminated against in all spheres of life, reducing them to 2nd-class citizens in their own country,” claimed Shahid.
Other Speakers at the joint press conference argued that rejection of all 44 amendments suggested by the opposition members defeats the purpose of the formation of the JPC itself. “Article 26 of the Indian constitution grants all religious groups rights to manage their institutions and properties. Allowing members of the other religious groups to manage the affairs of the Waqf violates article 26 of the constitution,” the speakers highlighted, claiming, “Allowing one religious group to oversee other groups’ property is a direct violation of this constitutional right.”
During the joint press conference, speakers accused BJP-RSS of harming the basic structure of the constitution by neutralizing the sections of the Waqf Board. “The BJP-RSS has, in a way, declared a war against twenty crore Muslims of India that can prove very harmful for peace and development of the country.”
They further alleged that the ruling BJP is promoting an anti-Muslim agenda for vote bank politics, which they described as, “Very dangerous for the unity and integrity of the country.”
The press conference was addressed by Safeer Chowdahry, Mir Shahid Saleem, Wali Mohammad Dar, Dr. Rajinder Thappa, Moulana Mudasir Jalali, Narinder Singh Khasa, and Yousuf Aijaz.
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