Patna, Apr 3 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the ruling NDA at the Centre, accusing allies like JD(U) and TDP of having “collaborated with BJP” by supporting the Waqf Bill.
The Left leader alleged that the contentious legislation, which was passed by Lok Sabha earlier in the day, was “a huge blow to the identity, religious freedom and cultural autonomy of the Muslim community”.
“Minority rights are central to Ambedkar’s idea of a democratic republic. Parties like JDU and TDP which have collaborated with the BJP in this attack on minority rights are actually complicit in this anti-Constitution conspiracy. They stand exposed and will be held accountable by the people”, Bhattacharya told PTI over the phone.
Notably, the BJP, which does not have a majority in Lok Sabha, depends for its survival in power on the support of JD(U) and TDP, headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu respectively.
The CPI(ML) leader said, “The Waqf Board deals with almost the entire range of Muslim charitable land and religious and cultural institutions. After the amendment, all such land and institutions will need to be registered and every dispute or litigation will be decided by representatives of the state. This will mean a huge blow to the identity, religious freedom and cultural autonomy of the Muslim community”.
He added, “The Modi regime finds one issue after another to target Muslims and, in the process, keeps subverting the Constitution, undermining the republic and eroding the rights and liberties of all citizens. The CAA singled out Muslims in matters of citizenship, in violation of the constitutional principle of non-discrimination on the basis of religion”.
Bhattacharya said, “The UCC in Uttarakhand targeted the Muslim community in the name of uniformity and…..it has also come as a big blow to the very freedom of adults to enter into inter-faith and inter-caste marriages or live-in relationships”.
The Left leader also came out with an acerbic Facebook post on the issue.
“On 2nd April when Trump inflicted 26 per cent tariffs on India, the Modi regime was busy inflicting the Waqf Amendment Bill on Indian Muslims in utter violation of the constitutional spirit of minority rights. Coercion at home, capitulation abroad – that’s the Modi formula for you”, wrote Bhattacharya. PTI PKD NAC RG
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