Waqf Amendment Act: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to pass a resolution, rejecting the amendments to the Waqf Act passed by Parliament. Wednesday is the last day of the Budget session of the assembly.
National Conference will likely to move the Supreme Court of India to file a ‘writ petition’ against the ‘Waqf Amendment Act’, party’s chief spokesperson and legislator Tanvir Sadiq said on Wednesday (April 9). “On the direction of President Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference (NC) will file a writ petition in the Supreme Court. This legal battle will now be fought there,” Sadiq told media outside J&K Assembly after the House was adjourned sine die today.
We’re against ‘Waqf Amendment bill’: Tanvir Sadiq
JKNC MLA Tanvir Sadiq said, “We are saddened by what has happened in the Assembly in the last three days. We are against the Waqf Amendment bill. We tried to raise our opposition against it in the assembly. On directions of Dr Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference will file a writ petition against the Waqf Amendment Act in the Supreme Court as soon as possible…We will continue to raise the issue of statehood on various platforms.”
He said the NC believes that this Act represents a constitutionally “alarming interference” in the religious affairs of the Muslim community. “It (the Act) violates fundamental constitutional protections under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, and 300A, and it is a direct attack on the religious freedom, equality, and property rights of Muslims across the country,” the NC leader said.
Jammu-Kashmir Assembly witnesses chaos
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed chaos as NC MLAs protested against Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather’s decision to disallow their adjournment motion. Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Sunil Sharma slammed the National Conference’s stance on the Waqf Amendment Act, saying that the party opposed the act because it had a vested interest in keeping the status quo.
“National Conference’s pain on the Waqf exists from the time of Sheikh Abdullah. Ever since independence, the National Conference has administered the Waqf in J&K. Their own office is on Waqf land,” Sharma told media.
“There are many offices and landholdings with their relatives and workers, which belong to the Waqf, and they are scared of being questioned on that. A common, poor, and oppressed Muslim has no problem with it. He is happy with the bill,” he added.
J&K People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone said that his party has moved a no-confidence motion against the speaker, “We demanded that the Speaker either goes back to his chambers temporarily and Mubarak Gul take over for the time being and our work will be done. We also brought in a no-confidence motion. If he persists, then I think the no-confidence motion should be successful…Discussions on the Waqf bill will be held if they (NC) want.”
Congress MLA Irfan Hafeez Lone said that secularism was being violated and federalism was under threat, “The Constitution and rule of law is being violated. Secularism is being brazenly violated. Federalism is under threat…It is the need of the hour to restore our identity of unity in diversity. The Waqf amendment bill is in concluding our religious matters, and the members have expressed their concern about it…We will not tolerate their interference in our religious matters. They have divided our beautiful state,” he said.
NC alliance should prioritise passing resolution to reject Waqf amendments: Mehbooba Mufti
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to pass a resolution, rejecting the amendments to the Waqf Act passed by Parliament. Wednesday is the last day of the Budget session of the assembly.
“With today possibly marking the end of this assembly session, the ruling alliance should prioritise passing a resolution to reject this bill rather than prolonging the political spectacle,” Mufti, the former chief minister, said in a post on X.
The PDP president also referred to the chance meeting between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at Tulip Garden the other day, saying the meeting seemed to be a signal to the 24 crore Muslims of the country. The ruling National Conference rubbished the charges, saying the opposition was fishing in the desert.
“After bulldozing the Waqf Amendment Bill through Parliament, Minister Kiran Rijiju strategically chose to visit Kashmir.
He was given a red carpet welcome by the Chief Minister of India’s only Muslim-majority state- a move that seemed designed and deliberate to signal to the 24 crore Muslims across India that their views hold little weight when the leader of the country’s only Muslim-majority region stands in support,” Mehbooba said.
