Mohammed Ali Shabbir: Telangana was the first state to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill
Nizamabad: Mohammed Ali Shabbir, a senior Congress leader and the Telangana government’s advisor for SC, ST, OBC, and minorities, harshly criticized the BJP-led government on Sunday for passing the Waqf Amendment Act, claiming that Telangana was the first state to oppose the bill.
“The Waqf Amendment Bill was originally opposed by Telangana. Speaking to the media, Shabbir Ali said, “This bill shouldn’t exist.”
He said that the Congress party has opposed the law continuously from its inception and charged that the central government, which is run by the BJP, is encouraging sectarian politics.
“From the beginning, the Congress party has opposed this measure. He said that the BJP has solely been performing Hindu-Muslim work in the country since taking office.
Shabbir Ali questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy, saying, “I would want to know why PM Modi only sees the problems of Muslim women and not those of Hindu women. The country will be destroyed by this. It ought to be halted.
Meanwhile, a demonstration against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad area sparked the violence on April 11. Thousands of people were forced to flee their houses in search of safer locations as the demonstration descended into violence, which resulted in two fatalities, several injuries, and property damage.
Road blockades, stone-throwing, and burning were all part of the demonstration against the Waqf (Amendment) Act that extended to Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Hooghly.
Following lengthy discussions in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 earlier this month. It aims to simplify the administration of Waqf holdings while including measures to protect historic sites and advance social welfare. Following that, President Droupadi Murmu signed the measure into law.
The law was fiercely opposed by INDIA bloc parties, which claimed it was unconstitutional. The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, was also approved by the Parliament.
According to the Waqf Act, no land owned by Scheduled Tribes may be designated as Waqf in accordance with the fifth or sixth schedules of the Constitution.
