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After a national workshop at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, a couple of weeks ago, several party leaders travelled to different parts of the country to promote the amended Waqf Act
After the state-wise workshops, the BJP will go on to promote the Waqf (Amendment) Act further down to the people. (Image: News18)
The BJP has already hit the ground running for the promotion of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. After a national workshop at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, a couple of weeks ago, several party leaders travelled to different parts of the country to promote the legislation while highlighting its salient features.
While BJP national spokesperson Anil Antony has been travelling in the northeast, while Aravind Menon – part of a committee formed by the party for this purpose – is in the southern parts holding workshops at places like Hyderabad. General secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, meanwhile – also a member of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) that examined the Bill – is in the west for workshops in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.
The BJP has prepared a four-page pamphlet along with a booklet that highlights the importance of the legislation. A copy of the booklet, which has been circulated in English and Hindi, is being shared by the central leaders to all state leaders with whom the workshop is being held.
The 16-page booklet contains the history of the Act and how various amendments were made in the past to allegedly support corrupt practices. It also speaks about the alleged arbitrary amendments made to the Act by the UPA.
Later, it also speaks about the features of the legislation, which was passed in the budget session of Parliament essentially speaking about promoting transparency and the welfare that the Narendra Modi-led government wants to bring about in the Muslim community.
The booklet has a four-page detailed explanation of the various cases of corruption involving such properties, which have been given for Waqf use. From farmlands in Karnataka to land on which a temple existed in Tamil Nadu, several such cases of alleged corruption have been highlighted. The pamphlet, meanwhile, draws a comparison between the 2013 amendment to the legislation in comparison to the Bill passed recently in Parliament.
After the state-wise workshops, the BJP will go on to promote the legislation further down to the people. It has planned workshops to be held at district level, followed by the mandal level workshops.
Union ministers, MPs, MLAs and several other leaders will take part in these workshops at multiple stages. In the state workshops, which are held across many BJP-ruled states, chief ministers, deputy CMs, union ministers, and MPs and members of the state organisation have taken part in these workshops.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed in Parliament after a 17-hour discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the intervening night of April 3 and 4. Soon after, the President also gave her assent to the Bill. There have been violent protests witnessed in some places, especially in West Bengal.
Many opposition parties have come out and hit out at the central government for the passage of the Bill, petitions against which are also being heard in the Supreme Court. At present, the law has been put on hold till further hearings take place in the first week of May.