Waqf Board Bill: Final Nail in Coffin of Politics of Secularism
Lok Sabha on Wednesday took up discussion on the Waqf Board Amendment Bill (Image credit Sansad TV)
Indian Politics Faces ‘Shah Bano’ Moment with Waqf Bill
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, April 3: The Opposition has pivoted attacks on the Waqf Board Amendment Bill around Article 25 of the Constitution. The Opposition will brace up to hold on to the political secularism in the Rajya Sabha even while numbers favour smooth sailing for the contentious legislation.
After 12-hour-long debate, the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Board Bill with 288 ayes. The Opposition counted 232 MPs standing firm against the bill. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted a perfect chemistry with the constituents of the National democratic Alliance (NDA).
The NDA allies – the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party – stayed firm with the BJP in support of the Waqf Board Amendment Bill.
The NDA is enjoying comfort in the Rajya Sabha with the strength of 125 MPs. The Upper House of parliament with a strength of 245-member has currently nine seats vacant. The majority mark thus is now placed at 118 votes to give seven surplus votes to the NDA.
The passage of the Waqf Board Amendment Bill is now certain. It will also assert the BJP’s ability to push contentious legislation despite lacking majority of own in both the Houses of parliament.
Political observers see the passage of the Waqf Board Amendment Bill as the ‘Shah Bano’ moment for parliament. The parliamentary protections to minority Muslims’ ways of handling their issues in own way now come full circle.
Late Rajiv Gandhi, then Prime Minister, had reversed the Supreme Court judgment to side with ways of the Muslims to deal with their personnel matters. Parliament enacted a law to turn down the apex court ruling in favour of Shah Bano, who had been pronounced divorce verbally.
Political observers state that the Shah Bano legislation by parliament was the summit of the politics of secularism. The Congress failed to capitalise subsequently but politics of minorityism grabbed the centre stage in a number of states.
Next two and a half decades in the Indian politics belonged to the primacy of the politics of minorityism. But the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the national political scene sent the politics of minoritysim on downward hill journey.
Coming close on heels of construction of the Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370, partial rollout of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in states, the Waqf Board Amendment Bill passage in parliament may come as a final nail in the coffin of the politics of secularism.
The passage of the Waqf Board Amendment Bill may also open up Muslim politics with fast-paced changes in coming years. The realignment on caste lines within the Muslim community may not be ruled out.
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