‘Tamil Nadu will fight’: Stalin to challenge Waqf Bill in SC
text_fields
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (file photo)
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condemned the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He also announced that the DMK will challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court, IANS reported.
Addressing the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, CM Stalin declared, “Tamil Nadu will fight, and it will succeed in this fight.”
DMK legislators wore black badges during the Assembly session as a mark of protest against the Bill’s passage in the Lok Sabha.
CM Stalin reminded the House that on March 27, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed a resolution urging the withdrawal of the Waqf Amendment Bill, citing that it undermines religious harmony and adversely affects the minority Muslim community.
“A majority of political parties across India opposed this Bill. Yet, it was passed in the Lok Sabha, which is highly condemnable. Though it has cleared the House, one should not ignore the significant number of votes against it,” he said.
The Chief Minister noted that 232 members opposed the Bill, underscoring that this was not a negligible figure. “The Opposition could have been even stronger. This law must be completely withdrawn,” he asserted.
CM Stalin further criticized the timing and manner in which the Bill was passed. “Introducing and passing such a sensitive legislation at 2 a.m., disregarding opposition from a majority of the country’s political parties, is a direct attack on the Constitution of India and an attempt to disturb communal harmony,” he said.
He reiterated that the DMK would challenge the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Supreme Court, asserting that Tamil Nadu will continue its legal and political fight against the legislation.
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill in the early hours of Thursday, April 3, after a 12-hour-long debate. A total of 288 members voted in favour, while 232 opposed it.