AIMPLB announces nationwide movement against Waqf Amendment Bill

The first phase of the movement will involve sit-ins in front of state assemblies in Patna on March 26 and Vijayawada on March 29

New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced on Sunday a nationwide movement against the Waqf Amendment Bill, which is set to be introduced in Parliament later this week.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), backed by various minority groups and opposition leaders, has labelled the bill as ‘controversial, discriminatory, and damaging’ (ANI)

The first phase of the movement will involve sit-ins in front of state assemblies in Patna on March 26 and Vijayawada on March 29. The AIMPLB, backed by various minority groups and opposition leaders, has labelled the bill as ‘controversial, discriminatory, and damaging’.

“Without the grace of Allah and the united support of these groups, the success of the Delhi demonstration would not have been possible,” said S.Q.R. Ilyas, spokesperson of AIMPLB and convener of the action committee against the Waqf Bill.

The AIMPLB’s 31-member action committee has resolved to use all ‘constitutional, legal, and democratic means’ to oppose the bill.

Senior leaders from the AIMPLB, along with national and state-level religious and social organisations, are expected to participate in the upcoming protests.

According to the AIMPLB, prominent personalities from Dalit, Adivasi, and OBC communities, as well as civil society activists, have also confirmed their participation.

Despite political party legislators requiring lawmakers to attend the ongoing Parliament session, the AIMPLB has extended invitations to members of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to attend the sit-ins.

In Patna, invitations have been sent to leaders from Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, and the Lok Janshakti Party, including Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar.

In Andhra Pradesh, invitations have been issued to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, Congress, and Left-wing parties.

Ilyas said that the aim of these protests is to send a clear message to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) alliance partners that “either withdraw support for the Bill or risk losing our support.”

As part of its nationwide agitation plan, the AIMPLB has scheduled major rallies in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Malerkotla (Punjab), and Ranchi. The campaign will include district-level sit-in demonstrations, human chains, and social media campaigns, particularly hashtag drives on X (formerly Twitter).

Additionally, public conferences, seminars, and symposiums will be organised, and memorandums will be submitted to the President Droupadi Murmu through district magistrates.

The bill, introduced by the government in the last monsoon session, seeks to change the powers of state waqf boards, survey waqf properties, and remove encroachments by amending the Waqf Act, 1995. A waqf is a Muslim religious endowment, usually in the form of landed property, made for purposes of community welfare.

The government argues that the bill will modernise norms and bring in uniformity, but the opposition has called it an attempt to infringe on religious rights and the Constitution.