Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday vigorously blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and accused it of using the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as a ‘divisive agenda.’ Taking away millions of people’s homes and shops, he argued that the proposed law would harm India’s secular fabric.
In the discussions on the bill in the Lok Sabha, Akhilesh Yadav also said that the BJP was harping on polarising society to make political gains. “People must be agitated, and this is the time the BJP is looking for an opportunity to bring people’s nations together,” they said. They also want to create rifts among Muslims,” according to him. Yadav says most political parties in the country wanted the bill not introduced, and there was no need to bring forward the legislation.
He claimed the BJP is using the bill to divert public attention from other problems, including deaths that took place during the recently held Maha Kumbh in February. Yadav also mentioned Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who had derided Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to RSS headquarters. This visit, he said, was related to speculation over whether BJP leaders would be granted an exemption in the extension of the retirement age beyond 75 years.
However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla came to Yadav’s defense and asked him not to let the discussion come to naught merely because he was not getting his way.
The Bill to amend the Waqf has had contention, with opposition parties questioning the impact the bill may have as they have spoken out against it. The remarks by Yadav are a sign of the wider opposition to the bill by political parties who have accused the BJP of using it to mobilize for election and political gains.
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