NEW DELHI: The Opposition, including Congress, on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision of temporarily suspending the key provisions of the Waqf Act, asserting that legal battle against the unconstitutional legislation will continue.
Reacting to the SC’s observations, Congress said the Waqf Amendment Act is not just ‘legally flawed’ but ‘morally vacuous’ and that ‘attacks’ the very soul of the Constitution.
Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said the law attacks the rights of minorities in the name of reform and the party will not allow this to happen as the framers of the Constitution had not envisioned this.
Congress’ minorities department head Imran Pratapgarhi thanked the top court for granting time to hear the important matter. Singhvi, who also argued in the case before the Supreme Court, said people forget that the constitutional rights are against the majority as there would be no need for the rights otherwise.
“I want to say this is not reform. It is retaliation in the guise of reform. Retaliation meticulously scripted, strategically timed, and constitutionally questionable. The Waqf Act is not an exercise in efficiency as it pretends to be. It is an exercise in erasure,” Singhvi said.
“Behind the bland language of governance lies the bold ambition of control. Religious autonomy is being reduced to state-administered protocol. And community rights are being redrawn with bureaucratic pens,” he noted. Singhvi said the matter should not be treated as that of a community but of their rights.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, “We consider this Act unconstitutional. The court has said that the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Council will not be constituted, and ‘Waqf by user’ cannot be deleted.”
INDIA bloc looks to turn heat on NDA allies
With the SC putting on hold key provisions of the Waqf Act till the next hearing, the Opposition is finding an opportunity to attack NDA allies Janata Dal (United), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which helped the Waqf Bill pass in Parliament. Opposition parties, including Congress, DMK & AIMIM have moved the SC challenging the constitutional validity of the law.
