NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a fiery showdown between Assaduddin Owaisi and BJP’s Jagdambika Pal after the Hyderabad MP registered his protests by tearing a copy of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
During his speech on the ongoing discussion on the proposed bill, Owaisi cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi while he was in South Africa and claimed that the bill was “unconstitutional.”
“This Bill is an attack on Muslims. The Modi government has started a war on my freedom. My mosques, my Dargahs, my Madrasas are on target. This government is not revealing the truth. This Bill violates Article 14- Equal Protection. Limitations will be imposed. By doing so, the encroacher will become the owner, and a non -Muslim will administrate the Waqf Board. This Bill also violates Equality For Law,” Owaisi said.
“If you read history, you would see that he (Mahatma Gandhi) said about the laws of white South Africa, ‘My conscience doesn’t accept this’ and he tore it up. Like Gandhi, I am also tearing up this law. This is unconstitutional. The BJP wants to create divisiveness in this country in the name of temples and mosques. I condemn this and I request you to accept the 10 amendments,” he added.
BJP MP and Joint Parliamentary Committee chief Jagdambika Pal criticised Owaisi in turn accused him of doing the ‘unconstitutional thing’ by tearing up the bill.
“I want to thank the government and all members because this is the first time that the government has accepted all of this JPC’s recommendations. This is not an ordinary thing,” Pal said.
“Asasuddin Owaisi calls the bill unconstitutional, but he has done the unconstitutional thing by tearing up the bill…I want to ask him why he tore the bill?” he asked.
Owaisi’s outburst came after Union minister Amit Shah lashed out him earlier in the day for claiming that the he minorities won’t even accept the bill.
“A member even said the minorities won’t even accept it. Who are you trying to scare? It’s the parliament’s law, everyone will follow and accept it”. Shah had said.
Amit Shah further clarified that Waqf is a charitable endowment and government properties cannot be donated. “Waqf councils and boards will now ensure that those exploiting properties are caught,” he said.
The bill, renamed the Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill, is facing a heated debate as it moves forward in Parliament.