Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticized the Waqf Amendment Bill, calling it an attack on Shariat and accusing key political leaders of enabling the BJP’s agenda against Muslim religious institutions.
Speaking at the ‘Jalasa Youmul Quran’ gathering at Hakeem Mir Vazeer Ali Masjid on the last Friday of Ramzan, Owaisi declared that Muslims will not forgive Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan, and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary for allowing the BJP to push the controversial bill forward.
Owaisi asserted that the bill, which he termed a “black bill,” was designed to deprive the Muslim community of its Waqf properties and was in line with what he described as a broader Hindutva agenda. He emphasized that Waqf properties are ancestral assets of the Muslim community and do not belong to the government. “If these four leaders want, they can stop the Bill, but they are allowing the BJP to finish off our mosques and Waqf,” he stated.
The AIMIM leader also accused the Narendra Modi-led government of using the bill as a weapon against the religious rights of Muslims. He alleged that the bill would facilitate the takeover of Waqf properties under government control by empowering district collectors to seize them. “Through this Waqf Bill, Narendra Modi is shooting us on our chests, our faith, our mosques, our dargahs, and khankhas,” Owaisi charged.
As a mark of protest against the bill, Muslims across Hyderabad and other towns in Telangana wore black armbands during the Jumatul Vida prayers. The silent protest, called by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, saw thousands of worshippers donning black bands at mosques, including the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. Owaisi himself was also seen wearing a black armband during the event.
Questioning the discriminatory nature of the bill, Owaisi pointed out inconsistencies in the management of religious institutions in India. “If only Hindus can become members of committees managing their temples and religious institutions, then how can non-Muslims become members of the Waqf Board?” he asked. He further criticized provisions in the bill that allegedly allow encroachers to take ownership of Waqf properties after 12 years of occupation, stating that such rules do not apply to properties belonging to temples, gurdwaras, or churches.
The AIMIM chief also took aim at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his remarks suggesting that Hindus feel unsafe in areas where Muslims are in the majority. Owaisi rejected this claim, stating that in India, Hindus and Muslims do not pose a threat to each other. “If there is a threat to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and the Constitution of this country, it is from the RSS, its ideology, Modi, and Yogi,” he asserted.
Owaisi concluded his speech by reminding Yogi Adityanath that the right to life is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and called upon the Muslim community to resist the bill’s implementation through legal and democratic means.
