The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), along with several religious and community-based organizations, has announced plans to hold a large-scale protest, called the “Maha Dharna,” at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on March 17 against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
AIMPLB released a statement, declaring that they, along with justice-loving citizens and various community organizations, will exercise their democratic rights to voice their opposition to the bill. “All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) along with all religious and community-based organizations, and justice-loving citizens across the country, will exercise their democratic and constitutional rights by staging a protest at Jantar Mantar,” the statement read.
The board has expressed concerns that despite numerous protests and efforts to communicate their objections to the bill, their legitimate concerns have been disregarded. According to AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Mohd Fazlur Raheem Mujaddidi, “Large-scale protests were held across the country, organised by various Muslim organizations, voicing strong opposition to the bill. Despite these efforts, the legitimate concerns of the Muslim community have been ignored, and the NDA government remains committed to its agenda of seizing and destroying Waqf properties.”
AIMPLB also criticized the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, accusing them of supporting what they consider the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) communal agenda. “It is deeply regrettable that even the NDA’s allied parties, which claim to be secular and justice-loving, are supporting the BJP’s communal agenda despite receiving substantial Muslim votes,” the statement read.
The Board also launched a sharp attack on the BJP, claiming that the party uses a “divide and rule” strategy to fuel communal polarization. “The Muslim community views the Waqf Amendment Bill as a direct attack on the community. It is evident that the BJP’s politics thrive on communal polarization and the strategy of ‘divide and rule,'” the statement read. AIMPLB further called on the NDA’s allied parties to reconsider their support for this divisive agenda.
The protest on March 17 is expected to be a significant demonstration aimed at raising awareness and pressuring political parties to address the concerns of the Muslim community regarding the Waqf Amendment Bill. AIMPLB hopes the protest will spark action among secular parties and raise objections within the Parliament. “This demonstration aims to knock on the conscience of secular parties, NDA allies and the nation itself. Perhaps this will help break the deadlock and enable us to effectively communicate our stance to the Members of Parliament,” the statement concluded.