Hyderabad: Government Advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir termed the Waqf Amendment Bill as a direct assault on the religious and constitutional rights of Muslims and a serious infringement on the autonomy of Wakf institutions.

He underlined that the Bill, while reviewed by a JPC, saw all recommendations made by opposition MPs being rejected, thereby making the consultation process ineffective.

Shabbir Ali participated in a crucial strategy meeting in New Delhi hosted by Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR).

The meeting was also attended by Supreme Court senior advocate and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid, former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Adeeb, former MP Danish Ali, and TPCC secretary Mohammed Jaweed Ahmed and others.

The gathering deliberated on the legal and political roadmap in light of the Bill’s passage in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

He said that the Bill violated Article 26 of the Constitution, which gives every religious denomination the right to manage its own religious affairs, and that Congress would not allow the BJP-led government to use legislative tools to disempower Muslims.

“The Waqf Amendment Bill is not just a legal matter - it is a battle to preserve our Constitution, protect minority rights, and uphold India’s secular fabric. Congress will fight this battle inside the courtrooms and outside, on the streets, alongside the people,” Shabbir Ali said.

He expressed serious concern over provisions in the Bill that allow the inclusion of non-Muslim members in Waqf Boards and give the State governments excessive control over the management and classification of Waqf properties.

He warned that these changes would facilitate State-led encroachment on mosques, dargahs, graveyards, Eidgahs, and other centuries-old Waqf institutions - especially in states like Telangana, where tens of thousands of acres are registered as Waqf land.

“The Muslim community is now left with two clear options: fight the Bill legally in the Supreme Court and resist it democratically through peaceful agitations,” said Shabbir Ali.

He assured that the Congress party would leave no stone unturned to ensure the repeal of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which he called a dangerous precedent for all religious and linguistic minorities

in India.