Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday strongly defended the Waqf (Amendment) Act, urging the Muslim community not to fall prey to “poisonous propaganda” allegedly spread by opposition parties like the Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.
Chandrasekhar asserted that the amended law is intended to bring transparency and reform to the Waqf Board’s operations, benefiting poor and marginalized Muslims, particularly women.
“This Bill is pro-poor Muslim. It aims to align with the Constitution and help the community, not hurt it. The lies being spread by the Congress and Mamata Banerjee are aimed at dividing people,” Chandrasekhar told ANI.
He stressed that the Act does not infringe upon the rights of any Muslim citizen, calling the opposition’s reaction a continuation of their politics of misinformation and division.
Meanwhile, in the wake of violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district linked to protests against the Waqf Amendment, Governor CV Ananda Bose continued his visit to affected areas on Saturday. After visiting a relief camp in Malda’s Par Lalpur, he pledged active response and assured victims of support.
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar and member Archana Majumdar also visited the victims, condemning the brutality of the April 11 violence, which resulted in three deaths and mass displacement. Many families have since fled to Jharkhand’s Pakur district, while others are staying in temporary relief camps.
“This is horrific. People were dragged out of their homes and butchered. The government must take responsibility,” said Majumdar.
The BJP’s defense of the amendment and condemnation of the violence come amid rising political and communal tensions, with central and state leaders making efforts to control the narrative and provide relief on the ground.