Hyderabad (Telangana), March 29
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi spoke about the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, saying that the BJP does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha. He added that if Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar vote against the bill, it will not pass.
In an interview, Owaisi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is relying on the blessings of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. He accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of spreading misinformation regarding the Waqf Bill throughout the country.
"Amit Shah, being the Home Minister of India, is attempting to form an unconstitutional bill that can be challenged in court. This is against the Constitution, and it will damage the Waqf all over the country. By eliminating some sections dealing with Waqf property, who benefits? You are depriving revenue of lakhs of rupees. Amit Shah is deceiving people by stating that the Waqf Tribunal can be challenged in court. Prime Minister Modi is banking on Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, and if they do not support this unconstitutional bill, it will not become a law," Owaisi said.
Earlier on Friday, Owaisi joined a 'black band' protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. He, also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf bill, wore a black armband to prayers in the symbolism of the protest.
At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Friday that the Waqf Amendment Bill, which the JPC has examined, will be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament, which is to conclude on April 4.
"There is no reason to be afraid of the Waqf Bill. In 2013, the Congress government had passed the Waqf Bill with a number of provisions that are not in accordance with our Constitution. We are now making efforts to bring the bill in line with constitutional values," he said.
Referring to Asaduddin Owaisi's black arm band protest, Amit Shah asserted that citizens have the right to do that. "Some do it by way of clothes, others by way of words. In Parliament, one opposes through rationale," he asserted.
