Waqf Amendment Bill: A Crucial Test for Secularism in Kerala

A leading Catholic Church-run daily in Kerala calls the Waqf amendment bill a vital test of secularism in Parliament. It urges MPs to support amendments for justice, cautioning against history recalling them as endorsing fundamentalism. The bill aims to amend provisions that incite disputes and encroachments.

A prominent daily owned by the Catholic Church in Kerala has labeled the Waqf amendment bill as a significant measure of secularism within Parliament. The publication, Deepika daily, warned the state's MPs that opposing the bill may lead to their names being etched in history as supporters of religious fundamentalism.

This editorial emerged as the union government prepared to present the Waqf (Amendment) Bill amid the ongoing Budget session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized the government's readiness to introduce the bill, criticizing certain groups for allegedly misleading the Muslim community.

The amendment is not aimed at abolishing the Waqf law, the editorial highlighted, but rather modifying elements that allow for land encroachments and impede constitutional justice, removing injustices faced by citizens across religious lines. It called upon Congress and CPI(M) to support this legislative change.

(With inputs from agencies.)