BJP Steamrolling Waqf Amendment; Top RSS Leader Instructs Sangh Workers to Join Mathura, Varanasi Revanchism; Action Plan for INDIA Bloc

A newsletter from The Wire | Founded by Tanweer Alam, Sidharth Bhatia, Pratik Kanjilal, Seema Chishti, Sushant Singh, MK Venu, and Siddharth Varadarajan | Contributing writer: Kalrav Joshi, with additional inputs by Anirudh SK

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Over to Siddharth Varadarajan for today’s Cable

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Snapshot of the day

April 2, 2025

Siddharth Varadarajan

The Modi government is pressing ahead with the passage of its controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, over-riding concerns by the Muslim community and the Opposition about provisions which could potentially lead to the official takeover of thousands of properties currently being run for religious or charitable purposes around the country. Waqfs are traditional endowments or donations left by benefactors for the upliftment of the Muslim community. The new law will grant government officials a decisive say in determining their status in the event of disputes. It will also mandate the inclusion of non-Muslims in the various Waqf boards that administer these properties – this when “similar institutions governing Hindu and Sikh endowments primarily comprise of members from their respective religions.”

Despite reservations, the BJP’s allies from Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are likely to back the Bill, which represents the first ideologically driven Hindutva matter being piloted through parliament by the BJP as a minority party. As if