Backing the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, BJP President JP Nadda said Narendra Modi government is the only dispensation that earnestly worked to mainstream Indian Muslims. Defending the Bill, he said the proposed legislation will strengthen the nation in the future. He said that the opposition should not oppose the legislation and should look beyond vote-bank for the nation's development.
Elaborating on the issue of Waqf board, JP Nadda said that many Muslim countries do not have a Waqf board, said that the government was not going to interfere in the Muslim body's affairs, but the appointed members would only be monitoring their functioning. Nadda says that the Bill envisions removing hurdles in smooth functioning and the right use of Waqf properties.
Nadda, further slammed the provision in the existing Waqf law, which bars a citizen from challenging the Waqf Board's decision in a court of law. He cited a Supreme Court observation in which, he claimed, it said that attacking one's property is attacking one's right to life.
Highlighting Modi government's commitment towards the Muslim community, Nadda said the BJP and PM Modi has been repeatedly invoking issues of social justice to address anomalies within the Muslim community.
The Pasmandas — a social sub-group representing the most backward Muslims constituting roughly 80 per cent of the Indian Muslim population — form the core of this strategy. The party’s willingness to accommodate Pasmandas promises to end the hegemony of elites in Muslim politics. By making calls for greater democratisation and inclusivity in Muslim politics, the BJP seeks to address the key Pasmanda demand — not to view the Muslims as a monolith.
Speaking on the debate in Lok Sabha, Nadda observed:"It is said in Courts, 'When you have got arguments, you are contended and you speak accordingly, and when you are lacking arguments, you raise your voice and try to sensationalise'. I saw that the debate was derailed and deviated. I saw this in Lok Sabha too yesterday..."
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