Waqf Bill ‘severely harms rights of Muslim community’, says Stalin as Tamil Nadu Assembly passes resolution against it

“The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is yet another attempt by the Union government to interfere in the religious administration of Muslims,” Stalin said in his address.

“This law increases government control over Waqf properties, undermines their autonomy, and threatens the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.

The resolution asserts that the Bill “severely harms the rights and interests of the minority Muslim community” and demands its “complete withdrawal”. Stalin said that Tamil Nadu had already registered its opposition before the Parliamentary Joint Committee but was disregarded, leaving no option but to formally oppose it in the Assembly.

Stalin framed the Bill as part of a broader trend of exclusionary policies by the BJP government. “Whether it is the Citizenship Amendment Act, the imposition of Hindi, financial discrimination against non-BJP states, or anti-social justice policies like NEET and NEP — every action of the Union government targets specific communities,” Stalin said.

He accused the BJP of introducing “a divisive agenda” in governance, saying that the Bill would “create unnecessary legal hurdles for Waqf institutions” and “strip them of their rightful autonomy”.

His raised several contentious provisions in the Bill, including the increased government control over the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards, affecting their independent functioning, reclassification of Waqf properties, allowing the government to declare them as state property, religious criteria for Waqf declarations, requiring individuals to have practiced Islam for five years before designating property as Waqf, abolition of elections in State Waqf Boards, eliminating democratic representation, and mandating non-Muslim members in Waqf Boards. Stalin described these as “direct interference in religious administration”.

“These amendments do not just affect the Muslim community; they violate the very principles of religious freedom enshrined in our Constitution,” Stalin said.

Stalin warned that the Bill contradicts existing legal protections and sets a dangerous precedent for minority rights in India. “By abolishing the Waqf Board’s authority to identify properties and transferring that power to the government, the Union is trampling upon Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees religious groups the right to manage their own affairs,” he said.

Accusing that imposing the Limitation Act on Waqf properties is essentially eroding the community’s legal standing over its assets, Stalin said, “Multiple political parties across India have voiced their objections, yet the Union government has ignored these concerns.”

Calling the Bill a fundamental attack on India’s secular fabric, Stalin urged lawmakers to stand against it as it can “ultimately cripple the functioning of Waqf institutions over time”.