MahaYuti, MVA set to play on Waqf Bill issue during Assembly election campaigns

Mumbai: The MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi, which have geared up for the Assembly elections, have hinted that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is currently referred to the joint parliamentary committee, is a key campaign issue.

The battle lines are drawn as the MahaYuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP plan to corner the Maha Vikas Aghadi consisting of Congress, NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena(UBT) on this issue accusing them of playing appeasement politics. On its part, the MVA has proposed to take on the BJP in particular and the MahaYuti in general for targeting and suppressing Muslims and minorities for their political gains.

Congress has gone a step further saying that its opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be included in the poll manifesto assuring that Waqf property won’t be brought under the government control as presently proposed through the district collectors.

According to the political observers, there are about 100 of the total 288 Assembly constituencies where Muslims and minorities are one of the major deciding factors.

A veteran BJP leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already got the ball rolling by accusing the Congress party of opposing the bill as it does not want transparency and is only interested in grabbing the land of Waqf Boards. He also cited many examples of land grabbing especially by Congress members during the Congress-led governments. Fadnavis’ move to target Congress and allies will be further played up as the campaign gathers momentum. By doing this, the BJP wants to further strengthen its pro-Hindutva constituency.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has echoed BJP’s views saying that Shiv Sena (UBT) has already abandoned Hindutva and their stand on Waqf Board exposes its ideological confusion and selfish politics.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde has been more vocal in criticising Shiv Sena(UBT) for ditching the Muslim community after it voted in its support during general elections. He has also dropped sufficient hints that his party will step up attacks against the Shiv Sena(UBT) for seeking the votes of a particular community during the Lok Sabha elections only to avoid representing them when it mattered.

However, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was accused by BJP and Muslim organisations of remaining absent during the Waqf Bill debate in Parliament, has shot back and announced that the party will not let anyone touch the properties of the Waqf Board or any temple or other religious property at any cost. He also questioned the BJP for not tabling the bill when it had a roaring majority in the Lok Sabha.

Thackeray has revealed his plan to corner the BJP on this issue as he did during the Lok Sabha elections over the change in the Constitution. Thackeray has also indicated that he has not left brand Hindutva but his party’s Hindutva is ‘’inclusive’’ which does not create religious discord or set fire to relations between two communities.

NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar, who has been attacking the BJP for targeting Muslims and minorities, has made it clear that his party would not tolerate the misappropriation of religious property.

The Maharashtra Congress Working President and former Minister Naseem Khan claimed that the party is strongly opposed to the Waqf Bill saying that it was not just an issue of Waqf Board properties but also temples and other religious places. He pointed out that Congress has objected to the state government’s mediation through district collector for control of Waqf properties saying that it was to suppress Muslims in particular.

The Samajwadi Party, which is a part of MVA in the state, has expressed serious displeasure over the BJP-led government’s timing to table the bill. The SP legislator Rais Shaikh said it was part of a larger design of BJP to malign, offend and suppress the minorities and it was a clear violation of Articles 14, 15 and 25. He hoped that if the BJP goes on flagging off this issue, it will unite anti-BJP votes and strengthen the purpose of the INDIA Bloc.

The observers say at a time when MahaYuti is stepping up outreach with the voters by promoting welfare and development schemes, the Waqf Amendment Bill will be projected skilfully to further divide Muslims against MVA and Thackeray in particular. On the other hand, the MVA will further attack the BJP and MahaYuti on the Waqf Bill issue saying that despite the lack of a majority in Parliament BJP will continue to take its agenda of Constitution change forward by targeting minorities.