New Delhi [India], April 1 : Congress MP and Waqf Ammendment Bill JPC member Imran Masood has come down heavily on Syed Naseruddin Chishty, the Chairman of All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council's statement on Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing him of "brokering" for BJP.
Masood said, "Yeh dalaali band kare BJP ki," on Syed Naseruddin Chishty's statement.
The Chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council (AISSC), Syed Naseruddin Chishty on Monday expressed support for reforming the Waqf Board, urging the Muslim community to not be swayed by "emotional provocative statements" made against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and believe the official statements of the government on the intentions of the act.
"The Waqf (Amendment) Bill that the Government of India is bringing, it had already expressed its intention...The JPC has heard all the parties very patiently and sent a report to government. Hopefully the bill that will come will be good...I believe that the existing Waqf Act needs to be changed and no one needs to be afraid of it... We should believe the official statements only. An attempt is being made to provoke emotions, which is wrong," he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also called the 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill', aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
Criticising the BJP-led Centre, the Congress MP accused that the LoP Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak in the Parliament and in the whole Budget Session, Masood, himself was allowed to speak for only '55 seconds.'
Sharpening his attacks, Masood stated that as soon as the leaders of opposition parties start speaking they turn off the mic whereas the MPs from ruling party speak whatever they want do.
"Where is there talk of debate and discussion? LoP is not allowed to speak. They turn off the mics. On 27th March, all the floor leaders wrote to the Speaker regarding this. As soon as we start speaking, they turn off the mic. There is only one-way traffic. Whatever the government wants to speak, they will speak; you keep listening...It (Waqf Bill) is completely unconstitutional; it overlaps many sections of the Constitution. Overlapping of sections of the Constitution cannot be done. It is bulldozing on the protection of our rights that the Constitution has given us...The opposition is being crushed. They don't allow us to speak. In this entire session, I only spoke for 55 seconds..." Masood told ANI.
On Monday, Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh launched a scathing attack on the Central Government, accusing them of trying to "supress the voices of the Leaders of Opposition" in the Parliament.
Earlier on March 27, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla criticized the interruption faced by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a session in Parliament, stating that even BJP MPs were unaware of the reasons behind it.
"Even the BJP MPs don't know why Rahul Gandhi was stopped (by the Speaker) and a comment was made on him (to follow Rule 349)," Shukla said.
He further alleged that Rahul Gandhi was not given an opportunity to respond, raising concerns over the parliamentary procedure followed in the incident.
Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi also reiterated that he is never allowed to speak in the House. Expressing scepticism, Gandhi said that he doesn't know what the ruling party is "scared" of.
"I am never allowed to speak. I don't know what they are scared of?" said Rahul Gandhi while heading towards the Parliament.