Owaisi vows to protest Waqf Act until it is withdrawn

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has vowed to persist in opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Act until it is repealed, alleging that the Centre is "targeting" Muslim identity and rights.

Speaking at a public gathering hosted by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) at the AIMIM headquarters on Saturday night, he highlighted that the resistance to the Act would resemble the previous protests against the now-repealed farm laws.

"You (PM Narendra Modi) will have to take back this law. The way our farmer brothers have shown the path, we will continue to agitate the same way. Until the law is withdrawn, there will be peaceful protest in the country," he said.

He asked the crowd, "Are you (gathering) ready for a long-drawn democratic battle? If you are ready, promise yourself that we will continue to protest till this black law is not withdrawn and we will not step back." Referring to the triple talaq law, CAA and religious conversion legislations in BJP-ruled states, Owaisi alleged that PM Modi has been attacking the religious identity of Muslims for the past 11 years.

"Now, in the name of the Uniform Civil Code, he (Modi) wants to take away our Shariat from us."

Owaisi asserted that the exclusion of the Dawoodi Bohras from the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was a deliberate attempt to create divisions and weaken the Muslim community. Criticising a BJP leader's comments on the Supreme Court, Owaisi remarked, "When verdicts like those in Ayodhya and other cases go against Muslims, we don't lash out... Even when the decision goes against what we wish for, we accept it. We accept because we believe in constitutional morality. But these Sangh Parivar people are anti-constitution people." He further accused the BJP of "undermining the Constitution and inciting a religious war".

"Mr Modi, who got radicalised? You are in power. Your people got radicalised. They got so radicalised that they are threatening the court that there will be a religious war," he said.

DMK MP MM Abdulla conveyed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's message of solidarity with minorities across the country, not just in Tamil Nadu, during the event.

AIMPLB president Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani and other leaders also addressed the gathering.

The AIMPLB announced the launch of the 'Save Waqf, Save Constitution' campaign in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, featuring activities such as blackout protests, round-table discussions, women's public gatherings, human chain protests, sit-in protests, and public meetings.

A central sit-in protest is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad on June 1, according to an AIMPLB release.

(inputs from PTI)