CPI statement on the Waqf legislation

Communist Party of India

New Delhi,
April 4, 2025

Press Release

CPI Rejects the Waqf Legislations

The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India issued today (April 4, 2025) the following statement:

The Communist Party of India rejects the Waqf legislation in its entirety, which is an assault on secularism and equality in the garb of reform. This Bill strips away key legal protections, centralizes control and enables state interference in religious endowments, violating fundamental rights.

The legislation is not only unfair but also unconstitutional as it violates Article 14 by selectively imposing restrictions on Waqf, infringes on Article 25 by allowing the State to determine who can create Waqf and Disregards Article 26 by undermining the autonomy of religious institutions. Beyond its legal flaws, the Bill is a diversionary tactic to stir communal tensions and distract from real issues like economic distress and unemployment. The BJP’s strategy is clear—manufacture controversies to demonize minorities.

The removal of ‘Waqf by User’ provision is a direct attack on community rights, enabling land grabs. The new eligibility criteria for creating Waqf, practicing Islam for 5 years, is an intrusive and arbitrary rule that in violation of the secular credentials of the Indian state. Transfer of dispute resolution to Collectors places decisions in the hands of government-controlled bureaucrats instead of tribunals. The restructuring of the Waqf Council is an unfair intrusion in minority institutions. This Bill reinforces the false narrative that Waqf properties are illegitimate and seeks to alienate minorities from their own country. The CPI warns that such interference can set a precedent for controlling other religious institutions, including churches, gurdwaras, viharas and temples of minority sects.

We call upon the government to uphold India’s secular values by ensuring equality and fairness for all religious institutions. If genuine reform is the objective, it must be done through democratic consultation and respect for constitutional rights.

(Roykutty)
Office Secretary