2 weeks Ago
Insiders say that Rahul — and most likely Priyanka as well — was advised by close aides to desist from delivering a fiery defence of the old Waqf law as it would have resulted in Hindu consolidation against the Congress For a man who has fashioned himself as the champion of Muslims, it was odd that Congress scion Rahul Gandhi remained largely absent from Lok Sabha during the heated Waqf Amendment Bill debates. He entered the House just before the voting of the Bill, did not speak on the matter, and was seen seemingly dozing off during the session which was adjourned after 2am on April 3. Next morning, he posted on X about the Waqf amendments, calling it “a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims".
But Rahul Gandhi, at least, did the perfunctory. His sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was absent throughout the Waqf debate and did not even come to vote. The Wayanad MP’s absence prompted an editorial tirade in Suprabhatham, the mouthpiece of prominent Muslim organisation Samastha Kerala Jemiyyathul Ulama.
“Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, whom the country looks up to with great expectations, did not come to Parliament despite the party whip. That will remain as a blot. The question of where she was when the Bill was debated will remain forever.
" The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency has 39.5 per cent Muslim voters. Regional Muslim parties like the Indian Union Muslim league (IUML) had campaigned for the Gandhi siblings in recent elections and ensured their win.
This raises the question: Why did the Gandhis evade the Waqf Bill debate? Why did they not stand robustly behind a large section of Muslims who were opposing the Bill? Insiders say that Rahul — and most likely Priyanka as well — was advised by close aides to desist from delivering a fiery defence of the old Waqf law. It would have polarised the debate further and resulted in Hindu consolidation against the Congress. It would have also brought into sharp focus how the Congress kept sweetening the Waqf candy with its own extremely problematic amendments over the years.
One of the most reckless appeasements was Section 40 of the Waqf Act, which is now being omitted. It gave power to Waqf boards to declare properties, including vast tracts of lands that spanned entire villages, as Waqf property. In eight states, 515 properties had been declared as Waqf under Section 40 of the Waqf Act.
On its way out and in its last days, the Congress-led UPA government donated 123 Delhi properties to Waqf. Stats from 25 Waqf boards show 5,673 government properties have been declared as Waqf property. Archaeological Survey of India has found that 132 protected monuments have been usurped by Waqf.
There are legal cases ongoing for 108 properties under the control of Land and Development Office, 130 under Delhi Development Authority and 123 in the public domain that had been declared as Waqf properties. Under the new Bill, an officer above the rank of district collector will investigate government properties claimed as Waqf. Perhaps the Congress’s biggest dilemma has been over how the Waqf issue has played out in Kerala.
The Kerala State Waqf Board has claimed ownership of around 400 acres of land, affecting over 600 predominantly Christians and some Hindu families living there for generations. These residents, mainly fishermen, own registered deeds and have paid land taxes, but have got no redress from civil courts because of the Waqf Act of 1995. This slew of land disputes has made the Kerala church strongly oppose Waqf.
This could dent the Congress’s chances in the 2026 state assembly elections. And lastly, a big section of poor and Pasmanda Muslims was affected by Waqf and many of them have welcomed the new Act. There are 40,951 pending property-related cases in Waqf tribunals across India.
Of these, 9,942 cases have been filed by Muslims against Waqf boards. This suggests that at least 20 per cent of these disputes involve disgruntled Muslim petitioners against the Waqf boards’ actions or claims, such as encroachment, property mismanagement or ownership disputes. All this makes it extremely difficult for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to be extremely vocal against the amendments.
The Congress created a monster which the BJP has reined in. The siblings have been wise not to remind the nation virulently about the beast of their own party’s creation. Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views..
