RS Prasad slams Cong for double talk

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday asserted that the Waqf Amendment Bill was in line with the Constitution and accused the Opposition of creating unnecessary uproar over it.

Speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on the Bill, he said the State had the authority to intervene if Waqf land was being misused or illegally occupied, pointing that “Waqf is not a religious body, (but) it is a statutory body.”

The former Union law minister was responding to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who criticised the Bill and accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of attempting to “dilute the Constitution” and harm minority communities. Gogoi claimed the Bill was part of a broader agenda to defame and divide Indian society, particularly targeting minorities. He dismissed the government’s assertions that the Bill had been thoroughly discussed in a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Responding to Gogoi, Prasad said, “I was listening to the Opposition’s argument, but I find it difficult to understand their logic. They say the Waqf Bill should be amended, yet also that it shouldn’t be. How can both arguments work together?”