Will oppose Waqf Amendment Bill, move SC if passed: SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq

Speaking to ANI, Barq said, "When this bill (Waqf Amendment Bill) was brought, our party and the opposition strongly opposed it because it is against a particular community and is being forcibly imposed on us."

Barq criticized the report prepared by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), stating, "When it was sent to the JPC, we hoped for justice but again a one-sided report was made and presented."

He emphasized that the Samajwadi Party would continue to resist the bill if it is tabled again in Parliament. "We will oppose this bill again if it is tabled. We urge BJP's allies who have reached here by gaining Muslim votes to oppose this bill, otherwise, they will have to face opposition from the people," Barq warned.

Expressing his determination to seek legal recourse if the bill is passed, Barq added, "If the bill is passed, we will approach the Supreme Court and definitely get justice."

Meanwhile, The Chairman of the Waqf JPC Jagdambika Pal on Tuesday responded to AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi's remarks on Waqf (Amendment) Bill and said that when the new Bill comes, it will benefit the poor Muslims, Pasmandas and widows.

"When Article 370 was discussed, Mehbooba Mufti had said that rivers of blood would flow. The way Triple Talaq Bill benefited, similarly, when the new Waqf Bill comes, it will also lead to benefits," Pal told ANI.

He also mentioned that Owaisi himself has participated in the meetings of the Committee where amendments were passed through voting and dissent notes of the opposition were registered.

Pal emphasized further that the government wants to ensure that places of worship remain intact and that the benefits of Waqf reach the poor Muslims, Pasmandas, and widows.

Notably, on Monday, Asaduddin Owaisi warned the government against tabling the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in its current form, saying that it would lead to social instability in the country.

Owaisi said that the Bill has been rejected by the entire Muslim community.

"I am cautioning and warning this government - if you bring and make a Waqf law in the present form, which will be a violation of Article 25, 26 and 14, it will lead to social instability in this country. It has been rejected by the entire Muslim community. No Waqf property will be left, nothing will be left," the AIMIM chief said during his address in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)