Srinagar: National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Friday said the BJP has no moral or political right to speak for Muslims, and by passing the Waqf Bill, the RSS-BJP regime has reaffirmed its “anti-Muslim, anti-minority intent”.
“Today, India has moved into a dark era of brute majoritarianism, where minority interests have been shown the door. With the passing of Waqf Bill, the RSS-BJP regime has strongly reaffirmed its anti-Muslim, anti-minority intent. A party that does not have a single Muslim MP has no moral or political right to speak for Muslims,” Mehdi said in a statement.
He said in the “temple of democracy”, the “lived realities of Muslims were ignored and humiliated”.
The Srinagar MP claimed that he was not allowed to speak on the bill in the Parliament.
“As a Muslim voice from Kashmir in Parliament, I was not even allowed to speak. Time was taken at both the introduction and passage of the bill by the floor leader of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, leaving no space for my intervention. This is structural marginalisation. And it has caused deep anguish among the people I represent,” he said.
Mehdi said taking away Waqf autonomy, abolishing ‘Waqf by user’, and allowing “land grabbers to claim Muslim properties is nothing but state-sponsored dispossession”.
“My fight against this belligerent and bigoted attack on Muslims will continue to grow stronger,” he added.
Meanwhile the ruling alliance comprising the National Conference (NC), Congress and independent legislators, passed two key resolutions on Friday—one condemning the passage of the Waqf Bill in Parliament and the other urging the Union government to respect the people’s mandate in the Union territory.
These resolutions were adopted during a meeting of the alliance’s legislature party, chaired by NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. Senior leaders, including NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah, Congress legislators and independent members supporting the alliance were present.
The meeting took place amid growing tensions between the alliance’s elected representatives and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha’s administration, particularly over a series of bureaucratic transfers ordered by Sinha without consulting the political leadership. The ruling alliance believes the recent administrative reshuffle is an attempt to sideline elected representatives and centralise power, undermining democratic decentralisation.
So far, the alliance has maintained a cooperative stance towards the Centre. However, Thursday’s resolutions signal a shift, reflecting growing impatience and a demand for political respect and constitutional propriety in Jammu and Kashmir.
Waqf Amendment Bill- Minority interests have been shown the door: Ruhullah
