
Waqf Amendment Act was passed without political ethics or moral fear, says VCK chief
Addressing a meeting organised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board demanding the repeal of the amended legislation, Mr. Thirumavalavan alleged that the BJP had used the power of the government to target the Islamic community in the name of law and democracy over the last 11 years.
'Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), abrogation of Article 370, Triple Talaq, and Waqf Amendment Act targets Muslims. BJP doesn't meddle with administration of religious properties of other faiths but meddles with ones owned by the Muslim community. It uses the law to do what should be illegal. It goes against democracy by using the very democracy. On the surface of it, these actions are about targeting and harassing Muslims. But, if you look closely, it is about dismantling of the Constitution,' he said.
The VCK opposed the law in Parliament and in the Joint Committee, besides organising protests. 'Now, we are organising a protest to safeguard secularism in Tiruchi. It has become necessary to sharpen our politics. There is no disagreement that all this is a result of hate politics against Muslims, but their eventual target is to dismantle the Constitution because it protects secularism,' he said.
DMK senior leader A. Raja said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah contended in Parliament that the Muslims were misappropriating Waqf properties and government-owned properties were being claimed as Waqf properties as reasons for passing the Act. 'All amendments brought in earlier had a basis. Whenever there was a law related to Muslims in Parliament, there would be widespread discussions and consultations and only then would the law be introduced,. I would like to ask Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi...what is the basis for the Waqf law that has been passed? Can you show that?' he said.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president M.H. Jawahirullah said, 'Muslims have not understood the importance of protecting the Waqf properties. When the CAA was introduced, there were protests across India. Specifically, women began protesting in Shaheen Bhags. The Muslim community should have undertaken even more vibrant protests in the Waqf issue.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amid Assam eviction drives, neighbouring states on guard against influx of ‘illegal immigrants'
With thousands in Assam displaced during the state government's recent spate of evictions, and with more planned, the Northeastern state's neighbours are on tenterhooks. Days after the Nagaland government referred to displaced people as 'illegal immigrants' and ordered 'heightened vigilance' on its border with Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur have now issued similar directions to check their influx. The Nagaland government's move was triggered by an upcoming eviction drive in Uriamghat of Assam's Golaghat district, which borders the state. 'In view of the ongoing eviction drive against the illegal immigrants undertaken by the government of Assam and to prevent possible influx of the displaced individuals to the state as consequence, all Deputy Commissioners are hereby directed to keep vigilance and take necessary measures to ensure the potential influx is kept in check, and law and order is maintained,' read the order issued by the National People's Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya government on Wednesday. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday met all District Collectors and senior officials, including the DGP and Chief Secretary, to 'strengthen vigilance and security' along the Assam border, to ensure there is no 'infiltration' into the state. 'There are certain vulnerable districts, especially bordering Assam and closer to areas where the eviction drives are going on. Hence, special attention is being given in those districts … We have been informed that no incident has taken place in any of these districts. All the district administrations, police, Village Defence Parties (VDPs), village-level committees, traditional heads and NGOs are being kept in the loop to ensure information regarding movement or individuals is communicated to us and appropriate action is taken,' Sangma said after the meeting. On Wednesday, Manipur, which is currently under President's Rule, issued a similar order, but without explicitly mentioning the eviction drives in Assam. In the order, the Manipur administration directed all District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to ensure vigil at inter-state and inter-district boundaries to 'prevent anyone from crossing into the state's boundaries illegally'. Over the past two months, more than 3,300 families, mostly Muslims of Bengali origin, have been evicted from forest, grazing and government revenue lands in Assam. While the political narrative around the eviction drives is seen as polarising, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claiming they were being undertaken to mainly stem 'demographic invasion by people of one religion', the crackdowns are against encroachment and not against 'illegal immigrants' as the orders by the Manipur and Meghalaya dispensations suggest. Nagaland Deputy CM Y Patton said the state would deploy additional forces in all areas bordering Assam, while the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Niuland district, which borders Assam, claimed to have sent back evicted illegal immigrants who were intercepted in '200 vehicles on Tuesday'. The state has an Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime that mandates that citizens who do not belong to Nagaland must procure an official travel document issued by the state government to visit or stay. In another bordering district, Mon, the Konyak Students Union has stepped in. 'We are cooperating with the district administration and deploying 100 volunteers from each village to maintain a round-the-clock vigil. We are checking for documentation such as Aadhaar card and ILP for every vehicle entering from Assam,' KSU president Temwang Anagh told The Indian Express.


Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
No current plan to remove ‘socialist', ‘secular' from Preamble: Law Minister
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal acknowledged in the Rajya Sabha Thursday that 'certain groups' were advocating for the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble to the Constitution, but said that the government did not have any current plan or intention to do so. In a written reply to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, the minister said: 'The Indian government has not formally initiated any legal or constitutional process to remove the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble of the Constitution. While there may be discussions or debates in certain public or political circles, no formal decision or proposal has been announced by the government regarding amendments to these terms.' The minister's statement comes a month after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said at an event that a discussion was merited on the words 'socialist' and 'secular', which were added to the Preamble during the Emergency. SP MP Suman had sought Meghwal's response on whether 'office-bearers of some social organisations' were creating an 'atmosphere' for the removal of the two words from the Preamble. Making a distinction between the call by the RSS leader and the government's position, Meghwal said: 'Regarding the atmosphere created by office-bearers of some social organisations, it is possible that certain groups are expressing opinions or advocating for reconsideration of these words. Such activities can create a public discourse or atmosphere around the issue, but this does not necessarily reflect the official stance or actions of the government.' The minister also cited a Supreme Court decision in November 2024 in Dr Balram Singh and others Vs Union of India, in which the court dismissed petitions challenging the 42nd Constitutional amendment. 'The court clarified that 'socialism' in the Indian context signifies a welfare state and does not impede private sector growth, while 'secularism' is integral to the Constitution's basic structure,' Meghwal said. Asked about the government's stand on the issue, the minister said: 'The government's official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution. Any discussions regarding amendments to the Preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any formal process to change these provisions.' Though it was a starred question and Meghwal was present in the Upper House, it was not taken up as the proceedings were adjourned due to disruptions when Question Hour began. On June 26, Hosabale, while speaking at the launch of a book on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975, called on the Congress to apologise for the Emergency and asserted that there should be a discussion on removing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' added to the Preamble through the 42nd amendment in 1976. 'No attempt was made to remove them (socialist and secular) later. So, there should be a discussion on whether they should remain. I say this in a building (Ambedkar International Centre) named after Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose Constitution did not have these words in the Preamble,' he said at the event. Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More


NDTV
18 minutes ago
- NDTV
ML Khattar, Asked To Pick Between Veep And BJP Chief, Said This
New Delhi: What would Housing and Urban Affairs Minister ML Khattar rather become - Vice President or boss of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party? The answer - neither, a diplomatic response. Mr Khattar, a BJP veteran, told NDTV Thursday evening, "I don't pick. Whatever responsibilities are given... I work accordingly", and offered an anecdote from his past to underline the point. The former Haryana Chief Minister Khattar remembered his first assignment - as a pracharak, or full-time worker, for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP's ideological mentor. "The first job I got was in Faridabad... this was in 1980. In 1981 the district pracharak came to meet me. After two days of meetings he asked me to drop him off at the bus stand," he began, segueing into reminiscing about how cheap bus travel was four decades ago. "As he was leaving he kept a foot on the steps of the bus... stopped and turned around and told me, 'I forgot... you have been transferred to Rohtak'. I said 'okay'." "What was there for me to think? I didn't ask 'why Rohtak'. Whenever I am given a responsibility I take it up... no job is big or small. If I am not this (Veep) or that (BJP boss), there will be enough work. I will find something else," he said at a real estate summit organised by NDTV. Both posts - Veep and BJP President - will have new incumbents before the year is out, although the former will be filled much before that deadline after Jagdeep Dhankhar's shock resignation. Jagdeep Dhankhar Drops Exit Bomb Mr Dhankhar stepped down late Tuesday citing ill health. However, sources soon told NDTV the Rajya Sabha Chair had displeased the BJP by accepting the opposition's motion to impeach Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma - then a judge with the Delhi High Court - over burnt piles of Rs 500 notes found at his home. This was despite Mr Dhankhar having been told the government had its own motion locked and ready to fire, in the Lok Sabha, and did not take kindly to having its political rivals take credit. Pressed on the Veep's sudden resignation, Mr Khattar said, "... without trusting the government he took a proposal from the opposition. It was the government's strategy..." as he questioned the former Vice President's lack of discipline in this particular matter. Sources have told NDTV the centre is now in a huddle over how best to proceed with Justice Varma's impeachment, i.e., how best to regain the advantage from the opposition. The BJP's Own Presidential Problem Meanwhile, on the BJP boss front, the incumbent, Jagat Prakash Nadda is set to be replaced after he was inducted into the government - as the Union Health Minister - in June last year. Choosing the right candidate is a tough task. The BJP needs to get the correct caste combination, and juggle the north-south divide over the language row and delimitation, particularly with elections in Tamil Nadu and Kerala - two state it has zero traction in - next year. That could count against Mr Khattar. But the party is also under pressure to shore up its support base in Uttar Pradesh after the setback in last year's Lok Sabha election led to a loss of outright majority in Parliament. Mr Khattar, although not from UP, might be an acceptable option from this perspective. And what could also help his candidature is the party boss will need to be someone who understands the RSS' organisational values. The Punjab-born Haryana leader was stood down from his role as Haryana Chief Minister rather abruptly ahead of the Assembly election last year, as the party shuffled its cards to avoid anti-incumbency. He was then rewarded with a role in the federal government.