CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have opposed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, alleging that the Modi Government will now set sights on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) followed by dilution of the autonomy of Christian institutions. Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that the relentless assault on minority rights by the Modi government is exemplified by the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Bajwa said, “Today, it is the Waqf Act; tomorrow, it will be the SGPC, followed by Christian institutions. The Modi government’s agenda is clear: to dismantle the autonomy of religious bodies and impose a majoritarian will. We must resist this erosion of our constitutional rights and stand united against this authoritarian overreach.”Addressing the amendments to the Waqf Act, Bajwa said, “The inclusion of non-Muslims in key waqf institutions, such as the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards, alongside the appointment of a non-Muslim Chief Executive Officer, signals an unprecedented intrusion into religious autonomy.””The Modi government claims this enhances transparency, but it is a clear attempt to erode community representation and control over Waqf properties,” he remarked.”By centralising decision-making within the state bureaucracy and stripping the Waqf Boards of their authority to declare properties as Waqf, the government is effectively seizing control of religious endowments,” he said. He pointed to the repeal of Section 107 of the 1995 Act, which previously exempted Waqf properties from the Limitation Act, 1963, as a move that could legitimise encroachments through adverse possession, further jeopardising Muslim heritage.
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