TMC Likely to Table Resolution Opposing Centre's Waqf (Amendment) Bill

PTI, KOLKATA, NOV 20, 2024: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is considering tabling a resolution in the upcoming winter session of the state Assembly to oppose the Centre's proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which is set to begin on November 25. The TMC has strongly criticized the Central legislation, viewing it as an infringement on state rights and an attempt to marginalize minority communities. The resolution aims to express the state's protest and highlight measures to protect the interests of minorities while preserving the state's autonomy over Waqf matters, Assembly sources said.

A senior TMC leader confirmed that the resolution would be presented during the winter session and indicated that the state government might also propose a Bill to safeguard minority interests and maintain control over Waqf affairs, although no final decision had been made yet.

The Union government’s Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has sparked widespread controversy, with opposition parties and minority organizations accusing it of centralizing control over Waqf properties, thus undermining state rights and community autonomy. Trinamool Congress MPs, led by Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Nadimul Haque and Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee, recently held a press conference where they strongly criticized the proposed legislation. Banerjee alleged that the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill had acted in a high-handed and arbitrary manner. On November 7, he also announced that Opposition members of the JPC would boycott the next round of meetings.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a vocal critic of the BJP-led central government, had earlier expressed her opposition to the Bill. Although State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay refrained from commenting on the resolution or the proposed state Bill, a senior TMC leader emphasized, "Mamata Banerjee has always championed the rights of minorities. This resolution reflects her government’s ongoing commitment to protecting marginalized communities."

The move has been predictably criticized by the Opposition BJP, which has labeled it as "political posturing." BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya accused the TMC of using the introduction of a separate Waqf Bill as a diversionary tactic. "This is not about protecting minorities; it's about creating a smokescreen to hide the rampant mismanagement of Waqf properties in Bengal," Bhattacharya said.

Meanwhile, both the CPM and Congress, while opposing the Centre’s Bill, have questioned the TMC’s motives. "The state government has failed to address long-standing issues in the Waqf administration. Instead of bringing meaningful reform, it is engaging in theatrics," said CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty.

The minorities, who make up nearly 30 percent of the electorate in West Bengal, have supported the TMC since its rise to power in 2011.