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
20 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Detention of Bangla-speaking migrants: Bhasha stir begins, Mamata to march in Birbhum today
As the Trinamool Congress on Sunday launched its Bhasha Andolan campaign over detention and deportation of Bangla-speaking migrants in several states of the country, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to lead a protest march in Birbhum town on Monday. The march will commence from the Tourist Lodge intersection and conclude at the Jambooni bus stand, followed by the chief minister's speech. On Sunday, she reiterated her charge against the BJP of unleashing a regime of 'linguistic terror' on Bengalis in the country, claiming that members of a migrant family were beaten up by the police in Delhi. Banerjee shared a video on X of a child and his mother purportedly belonging to a migrant family from West Bengal's Malda district, who were allegedly beaten up by the police in the national capital. 'Atrocious!! Terrible!! See how Delhi police brutally beat up a kid and his mother, members of a migrant family from Malda's Chanchal. See how even a child is not spared from the cruelty of violence in the regime of linguistic terror unleashed by BJP in the country against the Bengalis! Where are they taking our country now?' she wrote. Banerjee had last Monday accused the BJP of unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' on Bengalis, asserting that the fight for identity and language will continue until BJP is defeated. Speaking at the TMC's annual Martyrs' Day rally, she had announced that from Sunday, a movement would start in West Bengal to protest against 'attacks on Bengalis, the Bengali language and linguistic terrorism'. Marches were organised in Bhawanipore and Sealdah in Kolkata and elsewhere in Chuchura, Bankura, Birbhum, Cooch Behar by TMC workers, who held placards highlighting 'harassment and persecution' of the migrant workers in Assam, Odisha, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Maharashtra by the police in those states. TMC MLA Asim Majumdar led the rally at Khadina More in Chuchura, where he asserted that the 'double-engine governments' in those BJP-ruled states were 'deliberately harassing' Bengali-speaking migrants despite producing documents like Aadhaar cards and Voter ID cards. 'As stated by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, we have started this 'language movement' from today, which will hit the streets every weekend till the middle of August in the run-up to Independence Day. We will not take the persecution of Bengalis lightly,' he asserted. TMC leader and North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha led another march at Dinhata in Cooch Behar, vowing to resist the 'attempt by the BJP to strike off names of legitimate voters from voter lists, and send Indian citizens from Bengal to detention camps for electoral gains'. Thousands of TMC activists took part in the rallies in Sealdah and Bhawanipore with placards displaying Bengali alphabets and slogans against 'torture on Bengali-speaking people by the BJP outside West Bengal'. The processions disrupted vehicular movement in parts of central and south Kolkata.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt banks on panel's watch as dog menace deepens
Thiruvananthapuram: With over three lakh dog bite cases reported in a single year, the state govt has decided to retain the services of the committee headed by former high court judge Siri Jagan to process compensation claims from victims of stray dog attacks. Though the Supreme Court ruled in May 2024 that future compensation claims could be addressed by constitutional courts or other competent forums, it did not specify about the future of the existing mechanism in Kerala. As a result, when the committee paused its functioning citing a lack of clarity, public concerns mounted, especially with the state witnessing an alarming increase in dog bite cases. Data presented in the assembly paints a grim picture. In 2024 alone, 3,16,793 people sought treatment in govt hospitals after being bitten by dogs. It is suggested that the actual number could go over six lakh if those treated in private hospitals are also accounted for. Thiruvananthapuram district leads with 50,870 reported bite cases, followed by Kollam (37,618), Ernakulam (32,086) and Palakkad (31,303). Even hilly regions like Idukki (10,003) and Wayanad (5,719) have not been spared. The staggering stray dog population is at the heart of the issue. As per the latest available estimate presented in the assembly—based on the 2019 Livestock Census—Kerala is home to 2,89,986 stray dogs. That's nearly one stray dog for every 12 people in the state. The Siri Jagan committee was originally constituted to streamline compensation for victims and ensure humane responses to the stray dog crisis. Animal welfare groups have long warned that unchecked growth in the stray population, combined with inadequate sterilisation efforts and poor waste management, has created a situation in which both people and animals are at risk. The continuation of the committee offers some relief to victims, but pressure is mounting for lasting solutions and not just post-incident payouts. There have been calls for bold legislative interventions. In a detailed social media post, bureaucrat N Prasanth argued that Kerala can enact laws suited to its growing public safety crisis as animal welfare is a subject under the concurrent list of the Constitution. He suggested that the state could bring in targeted legislation such as a 'Kerala Public Safety and Aggressive Animals Regulation Act', which would allow for the classification and control of dangerous animals, including aggressive stray dogs. He also highlighted legal provisions available under Section 13 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the 1967 Kerala Prevention and Control of Animal Diseases Act, which, if properly notified and clarified, can empower authorities to cull rabies-suspected or violent animals in hotspot zones.
The Print
42 minutes ago
- The Print
Modi announces statues of Chola kings as BJP takes Shaivite route to cracking Tamil Nadu puzzle
Addressing the people gathered, Modi harked back to the installation of the Sengol in the new Parliament building. A gold-plated, silver sceptre, the Sengol was earlier housed at the Allahabad Museum. Emissaries from the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam Matha, a Shaivite monastery, are believed to have had brought the Sengol to North India. Since then, the Sengol had been lying in the Allahabad museum for decades before it hit the headlines in 2023, when Modi, along with Hindu priests heading the 20 Adheenams in Tamil Nadu, installed it near the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. On Sunday, participating in the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival at Tamil Nadu's Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, established by Rajendra Chola I in the then-capital of the Chola Empire, Prime Minister Modi said the statues would 'serve as modern pillars of India's historical consciousness'. Honouring Rajendra Chola I, he also released a commemorative coin at the temple, which is now celebrating its 1,000th anniversary. Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the government will install statues of Raja Raja Chola, who ruled the Chola empire at its peak in the 10th and early 11th centuries, and his son Rajendra Chola I in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming years. 'During the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the saints from the Shaivite Adheenams led the ceremony spiritually. The sacred Sengol, deeply rooted in Tamil culture, has been ceremoniously installed in the new Parliament,' Modi said, emphasising that the Shaivite tradition in the state had played a key role in shaping the country's cultural identity. 'Chola emperors were key architects of this legacy. Even today, Tamil Nadu remains one of the most significant centres—where this living tradition continues to thrive.' Political analysts in the state, however, say the PM's address is an extension of the BJP's efforts to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. 'They (BJP leaders) have been trying to leverage the worship of Lord Vinayagar (Tamil Nadu's Ganesha) through the Vinayagar Chaturthi festival (also known as Ganesh Chaturthi) for a long time, and for the last couple of years, they have tried to leverage Murugan (Ganesha's brother and god of war and victory). Now, they have taken the Shaivite tradition and Lord Shiva to appease the people of Tamil Nadu and bring everyone under one umbrella as Hindus,' said A. Ramasamy, a political analyst and former head of Tamil department at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. However, BJP leaders in the state said that it was not about politics and that analysts are misreading intentions. Speaking to ThePrint, the BJP's former Tamil Nadu president, Tamilisai Soundararajan, said that the PM's visit demonstrated that history and legacy matter. 'Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple was a historically important temple, built 1,000 years ago, and the Prime Minister visiting it was a symbol of celebrating the past, and it has nothing to do with politics. By the visit of the Prime Minister to a small district, like Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the city has got the light of the country, and [I] hope it regains its past glory,' she told ThePrint. 'C hola Empire advanced democratic tradition s' Stating that the history and heritage of the Chola Empire proclaim the true potential of India, the PM said, 'The legacy of Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola is synonymous with India's identity and pride.' He also said that it was the Chola Empire, which implemented democratic election practices first, centuries before Britain's Magna Carta came into being. 'While historians speak of Britain's Magna Carta in the context of democracy, the Chola empire had implemented democratic election practices centuries earlier, through the Kudavolai Amaippu system,' he said, adding that the Chola Empire also advanced India's democratic traditions but had often been overlooked in global narratives. Under the Kudavolai Amaippu system, the names of contestants for membership of the village 'Maha Sabhas' were written on palm leaves, with the winner selected by a lucky lot drawn in front of all villagers. The Prime Minister also highlighted a belief that Rajendra Chola I transported Ganga water from North India to South India. 'While many are remembered for acquiring gold, silver, or livestock from other regions, Rajendra Chola is recognised for bringing sacred Ganga water. Rajendra Chola transported Ganga water from North India and established it in the South,' Modi said. The Prime Minister also highlighted the Union government's Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam programmes.'The Chola rulers have woven a thread of cultural unity across India. Today, our government is carrying forward the ideals from the Chola era,' the PM said. he also emphasised that the Shaivite philosophy would pave the way for meaningful solutions for several crises. Referring to the teachings of Tirumular, who wrote 'Anbe Sivam', meaning 'Love is Shiva', he said that 'had the world embraced this thought, many crises could resolve on their own'. India, he proclaimed, is currently advancing this philosophy through the motto, 'One world, One Family, One Future'. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Tamil Nadu on mission to get Blue Flag tag for 4 of its beaches. But Marina presents a unique challenge
