TN Islamic organisations to protest against Waqf Bill on Oct 4

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Islamic organisations and political parties will conduct a joint protest on October 4 against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 by the Union government.

The protest would be held at Rajarathinam stadium, Chennai on October 4, according to a joint statement issued by Islamic organisations and political parties.

Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) President M.H. Jawahirullah in a statement on Wednesday said that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said the amendments would be passed in Parliament during the Winter Session of the Parliament.

The Muslim leader of Tamil Nadu said that the statement of the Union Home Minister was inappropriate as a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was looking into the Bill.

Jawahirullah, who is also an MLA, said that the whole JPC exercise seems to be a waste of time and money. He charged that while the JPC members were travelling across the country eliciting the views of the people spending exchequer money, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clearly said that the Waqf Bill would be enacted at any cost.

The MMK leader said that this was an eye-wash and hence the Muslim organisations were going for a major protest programme on October 4.

He also said that the protest being conducted by the Islamic organisations would be like that of the farmer agitation that had rocked Delhi.

It may be recalled that a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee has been formed to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The new Waqf Bill seeks to rename the existing Waqf Act of 1995 to the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.

The committee comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The constitution of the JPC was following the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 brought in parliament by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. The opposition parties including the Congress, DMK, NCP, Trinamool Congress and AIMIM had strongly objected to the Bill and argued that it undermines federalism and constitutional principles.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board President Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, general secretary Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi, DMK MP K. Kanimozhi, Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil, VCK President and MP Thol. Thirumavalavan, MDMK MP Durai Vaiko, CPI(M) MP S. Venkatesan, CPI MP K. Subbarayan, IUML MP Kani K. Navas, and others are expected to participate in the protest.