"Undemocratic, anti-secular and anti-federal": MDMK MP Vaiko opposes Waqf Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): MDMK MP Vaiko on Friday opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill and stated that it was 'undemocratic', 'anti-secular' and 'anti-federal'.
Speaking to ANI, the MDMK MP said that the BJP passed the bill as they had a majority.
"This is undemocratic, anti-secular, and anti-federal. We opposed the bill. They (BJP) passed the bill as they have a majority," Vaiko said.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari vehemently opposed the bill and termed it 'against the basic spirit of the Constitution.'
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari pointed out the alleged irregularities in the bill's passage, citing Rule 37, which states that the Rajya Sabha's proceeding time is until 6 pm, but the voting took place at 2.20 am, and the House continued until 4 am.
The Congress MP deemed this "illegal" and claimed that the Supreme Court would declare the bill unconstitutional.
"This is against the basic spirit of the Constitution. According to Rule 37, the time of the House in Rajya Sabha is until 6 PM, and it has not been extended. An 8-hour discussion was supposed to take place, starting at 1 PM and ending at 9 PM, but voting happened at 2:20 AM, and the House continued until 4 AM. This is all illegal... When this goes to the Supreme Court, it will be declared unconstitutional. We will fight this battle, and many organisations will do the same..." Tiwari said.
Congress MP and party General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh announced that the party will soon challenge the "constitutionality" of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Supreme Court after it was passed in the Parliament in the early hours of Friday.
In a post on the social media platform X, the Congress leader outlined the party's ongoing legal actions, stating that the party was already challenging several laws in the Supreme Court, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005, and amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules (2024). Additionally, the party is intervening in the court to uphold the Places of Worship Act, 1991. (ANI)