Protests erupted in Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad after the Friday weekly prayers as thousands of Muslims gathered against the Waqf Amendment Bill passed by the Parliament. 
A large crowd gathered in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, waving the tricolour and carrying posters saying, “We reject Waqf amendment” and “Reject Waqf Bill”. Many of these protests were organised by the Joint Forum for Waqf Protection, reported news agency ANI.

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The protests in Ahmedabad resulted in action by authorities, as police tried to forcibly remove demonstrators squatting on the road.

In Chennai, actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam announced a statewide protest on the issue. The party’s workers gathered in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Tiruchirappalli and raised slogans like “Reject the Waqf Bill” and “Do not take away Muslims’ rights”.
The Tamil actor-politician called the Waqf Bill “anti-democratic” and said its passage raises questions on India’s secular foundation.

The protests in Bengal will raise political heat as the state assembly elections are due next year. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of trying to divide the country and said the bill would be repealed when a non-BJP government forms the central government.

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There are fears the new Waqf laws will be applied retrospectively, thereby affecting existing properties, even though Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told Parliament that it is prospective in nature.

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The changes to the Waqf laws were cleared by Parliament after nearly 20 hours of fiery speeches. While the opposition MPs called it “anti-Muslim” those on treasury benches hailed it as “historic reform”. The Waqf Amendment Bill was cleared in the Lok Sabha by 288 votes to 232, and then in the Rajya Sabha by 128-95 and now just needs President Droupadi Murmu’s assent to become law. 

The revised Waqf laws mandate the nomination of two non-Muslim members to the central and state Waqf bodies, besides requiring that individuals making donations certify themselves as ‘practicing Muslims’ for at least five years previously.

Many concerns were raised by the opposition, including fears that the centre will take over the Waqf boards, but they were refuted by Rijiju.

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Congress MP Sonia Gandhi called it a “brazen assault” on the Constitution and accused the BJP of seeking to keep society in a state of “permanent polarisation”. 
She also said that the bill had been ‘bulldozed’ through the Rajya Sabha, leading to a call of an apology from her by the BJP.

Reacting in a press conference on Friday, Rijiju said that the Rajya Sabha debated the Waqf Bill for a record 17 hours and two minutes, while in Lok Sabha, the debate ran for over 12 hours.

Owaisi targets Naidu, Nitish

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Wakf (Amendment) Bill is an assault on Muslims who will never forgive BJP allies TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu and JD-U’s Nitish Kumar for allowing the Narendra Modi government to attack shariat.

The Bill would not have been tabled if the BJP allies had opposed it, he said.

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“How can non-Muslims become members of the Waqf Board, as proposed in the Bill, when only Hindus and Sikhs can be members of temple and gurdwara boards, respectively? PM Modi is firing bullets at our chest through the Waqf Bill targeting our mosques and dargahs. You (Centre) intend to take away the properties of Muslims. This is part of the Hindutva agenda to prevent us from following our Shariat and our religion,” Asaduddin Owaisi said.

(With inputs from agencies)