"Waqf Bill puts question of country's secularism to test": DMK

New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on Wednesday voiced strong opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying that his party firmly opposes it as the proposed legislation raises concerns regarding the country's secular fabric.
"It is a crucial bill which has again put the question of secularism in this country to the test. DMK is against the bill. Our leaders have categorically expressed this. Yesterday, all the opposition parties decided to vote against the bill. They (the BJP) always bulldoze the bills in their own manner since they have a majority in the Lok Sabha," Tiruchi Siva told ANI.

DMK MP Kanimozhi also spoke to ANI and said, "The DMK is opposing it. Our CM, MK Stalin, has passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. We will not give up on the minorities of this country. The INDIA alliance stands together to oppose this Bill."

Meanwhile, Aazad Samaj Party leader Chandra Shekhar Azad also criticised the Waqf Bill, calling it an attack on the religious freedom of Muslims.
Speaking out against the bill, Azad said, "This is a time when the weaker section is seeing who is standing with them and who wants to take their political advantage. This is an attack on the religious freedom of Muslims. It is the govt's agenda to loot Waqf properties."
Calling upon the opposition members to have "a change of heart" and support the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation, held very extensive discussions and such wide consultations on the legislation had never been done in the parliamentary history of India.
Moving the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha, Rijiju said the bill will not be implemented with retrospective effect and dismissed allegations that it is aimed at "snatching" property.
Rijiju also moved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.
"I want to say that the discussion that has taken place on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Joint Committee of both the Houses has never been done in the parliamentary history of India till date. I thank and congratulate all the members of the Joint Committee...To date, a total of 284 delegations of different communities have presented their views and suggestions before the committee. Waqf boards of 25 state governments and union territories have also presented their submissions," Rijiju said.
He said 97.27 lakh petitions were received concerning the bill, which was introduced in August last year and was examined by JPC. The minister rejected opposition members' allegation that the bill was unconstitutional and said the Centre has not taken any additional powers through the bill.
Earlier, Congress member KC Venugopal accused the government of trying to bulldoze the bill, saying that they had not been given enough time to move their amendments.
"You are actually bulldozing the legislation, you need to give time for the amendments, their no time for amendments," he said.
Speaker Om Birla said that he had given equal consideration to the amendments of the government and the opposition members.
With RSP's NK Premachandran raising some objections to the government's procedure regarding the bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the union cabinet had approved the amendments incorporated into the bill.
"It was your (opposition) insistence that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed. We do not have a committee like Congress. We have a democratic committee, which brainstorms. 'Congress ke zamane mein committee hoti thi jo thappa lagati thi'. Our committee discusses, deliberates on the basis of discussions and makes changes. If the changes are not to be accepted, then what is the point of the committee? There is no point of order," he said.
Rijiju told the media earlier that the bill is in the interest of the country.
The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha on August of last year and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records. (ANI)