Waqf law protest: AIMPLB changes campaign strategy for BJP-ruled states

The Board has issued a set of guidelines to its units in states and districts regarding the format of the campaign and the precautions to be taken. The first guideline is to ensure that the programme is held “peacefully in every situation”.

“The second guideline states that in states where the governments are non-cooperative and where the situation is not conducive for us, we don’t have to hold any public rally and demonstration on the roads,” said SQR Ilyas, spokesperson, AIMPLB.

The apprehension is that unwanted people could enter the rallies and programmes on the streets to create disturbances. “Apprehension is also because there is strong resentment in the people after the passage of the Bill in Parliament,” he said.

Ilyas confirmed that “non-cooperative” state governments are states run by the BJP and its allies. He, however, said not all BJP-ruled states were expected to be “non-cooperative”.

In BJP and allies-ruled states, the board will hold indoor programmes — like the one conducted at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi last week — and will also organise round-table meetings, hall meetings and interactive sessions of smaller gatherings. On Sunday, a programme was scheduled in Parbhani in Maharashtra.

Another guideline cautions the organisers to maintain calm if “notorious elements” try to provoke them during the programme. The Board has directed that the programmes should not be attended by only Muslims; they should see participation of key faces from the other religious communities too who support the Board in its fight against the law.

“The message we are giving is that we are opposing this law because it is discriminatory and is against the constitutional fundamental rights,” the AIMPLB spokesperson said.

In states with “conducive atmosphere”, they will organise public rallies and human chain formations too, said Ilyas.

The Board will also send memoranda to the President with an appeal to repeal the Waqf law. It has given a call for holding a blackout protest — Batti Gul — at 9 pm on April 30, when lights will be turned off for 15 minutes in households and commercial establishments across the country.

“The organisers have been asked to stick to the guidelines issued by the AIMPLB,” Ilyas said.

The Board had suspended the campaign for three days in view of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. It resumed it on Sunday, with an added directive to the participants to condemn the terror attack and pay tributes to those killed in it in every programme.