Amit Shah's swipe at Rahul Gandhi over non-involvement in Waqf Bill debate: 'Neither he nor his party...'

Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Rising Bharat Summit in New Delhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday dismissed allegations by the Congress that the party was not being allowed to speak in Parliament and said party leader Rahul Gandhi had all the opportunity to speak during the debate on the Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha but did not participate.

Shah was in conversation with Network 18 Group Managing Director Rahul Joshi at the Rising Bharat Summit in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Defending the intent of the government behind bringing the Waqf Act, Shah said that the Bill was aimed at benefiting the poor, Pasmanda Muslims, women and children and accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods for the sake of its politics of appeasement.

Shah said that the passage of Waqf Act is not linked to vote bank politics and repeated that minority Muslim sects were empowered by the Waqf Act. He said that those opposing the Waqf Amendment Act have vested interests and pointed out that 21 lakh acres of land was added to Waqf property after the 2013 amendment brought by the outgoing Congress-led UPA dispensation.

Taking a swipe at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shah questioned why he did not speak during the debate on the Waqf Bill.

"If the issue was so important for the Congress party, why did Priyanka Gandhi not participate in the voting for the Bill? Why didn't Rahul Gandhi speak on it in Parliament? What better stage than Parliament to express your party's policy? But Rahul did not speak. Congress party was given 50 per cent of the time for discussion. And they say they are not allowed to speak. What can we do?" Shah said.

"Now, they will shout on the streets that "we are not being allowed to speak". Rahul could have spoken for the entire time that was allotted to his party for the debate on the Bill in Lok Sabha. But neither does his party want (Rahul to speak) nor Rahul himself," Shah added.

Shah also challenged Rahul Gandhi to prove if any Muslim had lost his or her citizenship since the enforcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"I challenge Rahul Gandhi to tell me if a single Muslim lost citizenship. They (Congress) hoodwinked the entire country that the government will snatch (their) citizenship ... it also led to violence. They are responsible for this," Shah said.

He was referring to widespread protests across India after Parliament passed the citizenship law in December 2019.