PM attacks Congress over Waqf, ‘votebank politics’ in Maharashtra victory speech

Congress formed laws to promote appeasement politics and the Waqf board is an example of it, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, as he attacked the party for its poor poll show in Maharashtra Assembly elections. PM Modi also said that the people of Maharashtra defeated negative and dynastic politics, and gave another chance to good governance.
“Congress made laws to promote appeasement politics, and the Waqf Board is an example of it. There is no place for Waqf law in the Constitution given to us by Babasaheb Ambedkar, but the Congress supported it to increase its vote bank,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi’s remarks came ahead of the Winter session of Parliament, where the government has listed 16 bills, including the Waqf Amendment Bill. The joint committee of the two Houses is mandated to submit its report on the pending bills to the Lok Sabha on the last day of the first week of the winter session.
The Maharashtra win holds greater significance for BJP in the face of massive opposition by parties against the Waqf Amendment bill.
The Prime Minister made the remarks at the BJP headquarters, following the NDA’s massive win in Maharashtra Assembly elections.
PM Modi also alleged that before Congress rule ended in 2014, the party handed over several properties near Delhi to the Waqf board. “In its hunger for power, the Congress family has destroyed the Constitution’s secular values,” PM Modi said.
The Waqf amendment bill proposes renaming the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act. It was brought in by the Centre to reform the management of properties associated with mosques and Muslim endowments.
While the Centre has described the bill as a step towards greater transparency in managing Waqf properties, Muslim organisations and opposition parties argue that it grants the government sweeping powers and poses a threat to community-owned properties.
During his speech at BJP headquarters, PM Modi accused the Gandhi family of spreading the “poison of casteism and divisiveness”.
Reiterating his call for “ek hain to safe hain” (we are safe if united), he said this is the biggest message from Maharashtra after the Haryana polls and it has become the country’s “mahamantra”.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for the Congress to come to power on its own, he said, dubbing the opposition party as parasitic.
The BJP-led NDA sweeped the Maharashtra Assembly elections with victory on over 230 seats. Out of these, the BJP alone won 130 seats, its highest ever, surpassing the 2014 tally of 122.
The Mahavikas Aghadi, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), could only win 16, 20 and 10 seats, respectively. The alliance only won 49 seats.