SGPC to Akal Takht, AAP to SAD, key Punjab players up in arms against Waqf Bill, corner BJP

Attacking the Waqf Bill while participating in the debate on it in the Lok Sabha Wednesday, the SAD’s lone MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the BJP of “dividing people along religious and caste lines”. She said, “The Waqf Amendment Bill is discriminatory and communal, specifically targeting minority communities. The BJP ignores long-standing Sikh demands, such as amending Article 25(b) to recognise the independent identity of Sikhs, but they push forward Bills like this for their political agenda.”

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)’s president Harjinder Singh Dhami issued a statement Thursday to demand the withdrawal of the amended Waqf Bill, calling it an “attack” on the minorities. The SGPC is the top Sikh body which manages gurdwaras across the country.

The Waqf row has brought several leading Sikh and Muslim organisations in Punjab together for a common cause.

On Friday, a delegation of a prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind met the officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, to “discuss Sikh-Muslim unity, mutual harmony and the challenges faced by both communities”. Their meeting focused on their concerns over the Waqf legislation, following which Jathedar Gargajj said the “country belongs to everyone” and that “every community has the right to live here with happiness”.

“When it comes to suppressing minority rights, Bills are passed swiftly… But where are the Bills to protect minority rights? This country belongs to everyone, with its diverse cultures, religions, and languages, and all must be given equal respect and recognition,” Jathedar Gargajj said.

On Friday, another Muslim body, Jamaat Majlis Ahrar Islam, protested outside Ludhiana’s historic Jama Masjid against the Waqf Bill and burned its copies. Addressing the gathering, Punjab’s Shahi Imam Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi said: “If a law is specifically targeting a particular community, the government has a responsibility to consider the sentiments of that community. The amended Bill allows the government to appoint non-Muslim members to the Waqf Boards… This is completely illegal.”

The AAP-led Punjab government has also taken a strong stand against the Waqf legislation. On Monday, which marked the Eid festival, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while addressing a gathering in Malerkotla, a district with a significant Muslim population, said his government would “oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill brought by the BJP-led NDA government tooth and nail”. “The Muslim brethren are vehemently opposing this Bill, and the Aam Aadmi Party stands firmly with the community. Our government is committed to ensuring the well-being of every section of society,” he said.

Pushed to a corner in the state due to farmers’ sustained agitations – mainly against the BJP-ruled Centre over their demands like a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops – and successive poll defeats, the BJP has already been struggling to connect with the rural masses. The party failed to win any seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and was also routed in the recent local body elections and Assembly bypolls.

Punjab BJP spokesman Pritpal Singh Baliawal said, “The Waqf Bill is for the betterment of Muslims…The SAD and the SGPC are speaking against the Bill – this is surprising,” adding that the Bill “has nothing to do with Sikhs”.

Sikhs are in a majority in Punjab, making up about 58% of its population. They are followed by Hindus at 38.5% and Muslims at about 2%.

The Punjab Waqf Board manages an estimated 75,965 registered Waqf properties, covering around 36,625 acres of land. About 38% of this land is alleged to be under illegal encroachment leading to many litigation, which has been pending in various courts including the Supreme Court.