Congress MP Sonia Gandhi has roundly condemned the BJP government for ramming through the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. Addressing the Congress general body meeting, she said the action was a calculated attempt to keep Indian society in a “state of permanent polarisation.
“The Waqf Amendment Bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our party’s position is clear. The bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself,” Sonia Gandhi stated.
Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, CPP & Congress MP at CPP General Body meeting, says,” Yesterday, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 was passed in the Lok Sabha, and today it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our party’s position is clear.… pic.twitter.com/nSUiA9KdON
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2025
The Congress has already claimed several times that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted to scrutinize the bill overlooked the recommendations of the opposition, rejecting 44 suggested amendments. The party accuses the bill of undermining the values of the Constitution and consolidating power in the hands of the Centre for Waqf properties.
Midnight Vote Passes Contentious Bill
Waqf Amendment Bill was approved by the Lok Sabha following a contentious 12-hour debate that ended just after midnight on Thursday. The bill was passed with 288 votes in the affirmative, against 232 MPs who voted against it. The bill gives the government considerable leverage over Waqf properties, an action which has found opposition from leaders of the opposition.
Sonia Gandhi also blamed the Modi government for deliberately dismantling democratic institutions. “Whether it is education, civil rights and liberties, our federal structure or the conduct of elections, the Modi government is dragging the country into an abyss where our Constitution will remain on paper, and we know their intention is to demolish even that,” she further said.
Legal Challenge and Opposition Mobilization
Congress MP and JPC member Imran Masood declared that the party would move court against the Waqf Bill. The DMK, a Congress ally, has also threatened to move court. Sonia Gandhi also asked Congress MPs to fight the BJP’s “falsehoods” with the same ferocity and expose the failures of BJP-ruled states.
Congress to Oppose One Nation One Election Bill
Sonia Gandhi also made strong objections during the meeting to the One Nation One Election Bill, which suggests simultaneous elections for the state legislatures and Lok Sabha. The bill is being examined by a JPC and is likely to be reintroduced in the Monsoon session.
“The One Nation One Election Bill is another subversion of the Constitution. We strongly oppose this legislation,” she asserted.
As legal battles loom and political pressures build, the fight over the Waqf Amendment Bill and other controversial reforms will escalate in the months to come.
