Waqf Bill Passed in Parliament: Muslims Feel Betrayed, Slam TDP for Supporting BJP

With both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, Muslims in Andhra Pradesh have risen in protest against the TDP-led NDA government.

Expressing their discontent, the Muslim community accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of being a political opportunist and betraying them by supporting the passage of the Bills in Parliament. Muslim leaders criticized the TDP for backing the Bills, despite presenting itself as a secular party.

Recalling that former minister Bashiruddin Babukhan had resigned from the TDP after it formed an alliance with the NDA in 1998, former AP Haj Committee chairman Ghousse Lazam demanded that Minorities Minister N. M. D. Farooq and other Muslim leaders holding nominated positions resign. "You will not be forgiven for supporting the party in passing the Waqf Bills," he remarked.

Just days before the Bills were tabled in the Lok Sabha, Naidu had pledged to protect Waqf properties at an Iftar party organized by the state government in Vijayawada, which several Muslim leaders had boycotted. Citing this promise, Muslim leaders questioned how he could then support the BJP in passing the Bills in Parliament.

Additionally, the TDP issued a three-line whip to its MPs, instructing them to be present during the discussion and passage of the Bills in Parliament.

While the TDP claimed it was holding meetings with Muslim leaders to understand their concerns about the Bills, the only change it reportedly sought from the Centre was related to the representation of non-Muslims on the Waqf Board. The party is said to have urged the Centre to leave this matter to the discretion of the respective states.

The minority community has repeatedly pointed out the state government’s double standards—appointing only Hindus to various posts in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) while supporting the Centre’s move to allow non-Muslims on the Waqf Board.

Sadaruddin Qureshi, spokesperson for the Muslim Welfare Association of AP and Telangana, remarked that the unilateral passage of the Bills violates the rights guaranteed to 14.6% of Muslims under the Constitution. "The fact that MPs supported these Bills, which will leave Waqf lands, mosques, dargahs, and graveyards unprotected, will be remembered as a dark day in history," he noted.

Furthermore, Muslim leaders commended YSRCP President and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for refusing to support the Waqf Bills.