How BJP Is Establishing The Necessity Of Waqf Reform In Popular Narrative

After achieving success with the abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of Ram Mandir, among other agendas, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now all set to focus on its next set of issues: One Nation One Election, Uniform Civil Code, and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024.

However, the BJP has also learnt the hard way that numbers or the 'mandate' alone are insufficient to sell reforms or amendments to the country at large.

In the past, the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the National Registrar of Citizens (CAA-NRC) along with the farm laws have been 'resisted' with protests across Punjab, Delhi and the northeast.

On its agenda, the BJP tried pushing the Waqf Bill in the Lok Sabha, only for the opposition to outshout the leadership on its alleged mistreatment of the Indian minorities and the like. Subsequently, it was referred to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) headed by Jagdambika Pal, a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh.

The JPC consists of prominent lawmakers from various parties, including the BJP, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Indian National Congress and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) among others. As the Waqf issue gains traction ahead of the winter session of the parliament, it is worth noting the BJP's change in strategy to own the narrative and gain popular support for the reforms.

The Karnataka story

In Karnataka's Vijayapura, 1,500 acres of agricultural land belonging to farmers, many of whom are Pinjara Muslims, has been claimed by the Waqf board. Pinjaras are largely in the cotton business, where they grow the crop, and even manufacture mattresses. These communities have been tilling the land for centuries now.

North Karnataka has a sizeable Muslim population, especially the regions under the erstwhile Hyderabad Nizam, present-day Bidar, Kalaburagi and Vijayapura. Today, as a result, it is the Congress party's bastion of sorts, with senior leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge (who is also accused of being involved in the Waqf scam) and M B Patil emerging from the region.

The Karnataka Waqf board has allegedly issued notices claiming their right to the property owned by the aggrieved Pinjara farmers. Speaking in confidence to Swarajya, the seniors of the Pinjara community said that they have written to the JPC informing them of the ongoing situation. They believe that the changes to the Waqf Act are the only thing that will save them.

They have no free tribunal to approach either. No district magistrate or civil court can address the issues because of the existing provisions and mandate given to the Waqf boards across India. They simply wield too much influence.

As a result of the BJP's loud protests, the Karnataka CM had to apologise, and get his minister to clarify that there was an 'error' in the gazette notification and that the Congress stands 'with their Muslim brothers and farmers who are the backbone of their party'.

By using farmers and their concerns the BJP aims to:

1. Highlight how the Congress is willing to sacrifice even farmer interests for the sake of minority appeasement.

2. Create a narrative that an unreformed Waqf board with a Congress government in power can be doubly dangerous.

3. Establish the need for reforming the Waqf board in people's minds.

With the current fight, the Karnataka BJP unit, long accused of being indifferent and inactive, seems to be getting some momentum going for itself by setting an example for other state units to contribute to the national polity by taking up issues that will resonate beyond the state's boundaries. The Waqf issue in Karnataka is making national headlines every day.

The Latin Catholic community in Kerala is also a victim of the Waqf board. Munambam, a coastal village in Kerala's Kochi has been in the news after locals protests against the Waqf board over claims on property. Nearly 404 acres were designated as Waqf property in 1950, overriding the claims of the local communities which includes 610 families from the Backward Classes and Scheduled Caste communities, including 65 per cent Latin Catholics.

Interestingly, the BJP has positioned itself as speaking on behalf of the Latin Catholics, by taking on the Congress and the communists in Kerala.

Given that the discarded farm laws and the now enforced CAA faced resistance in the streets, leading to the government playing catch-up with the narrative, the way BJP is raising the Waqf issue in Karnataka suggests that this time the party is better prepared to control both the streets and the narrative.