Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has taken a strong stance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of using the Waqf Bill as a smokescreen to cover its failures in governance. On Thursday, Yadav voiced his concerns on social media, stating that the ruling party was diverting public attention from pressing economic and social issues.

BJP Using Waqf Bill to Distract from Governance Failures

Expressing his discontent on platform X, Yadav called out the BJP for introducing the bill as a means of distraction.

“Whenever BJP brings a new bill, it actually hides its failures. BJP is unable to solve problems like demonetization, GST, recession, inflation, unemployment, starvation, electricity, water, health, education, and housing, that is why it has brought the Waqf Bill to divert attention,” he stated.

Highlighting external threats, Yadav pointed out that the government was ignoring the issue of Chinese encroachment on Indian land.

“A bigger issue than the Waqf land is the land on which China has built its villages, but this bill is being brought so that no one raises any question or uproar over the external threat,” he remarked.

Concerns Over Misuse and Constitutional Rights

Yadav further questioned whether the government could ensure that Waqf land would never be misused.

“The government should guarantee that the Waqf land will never be given to anyone else for any other purpose through any trickery,” he said.

Raising alarms over constitutional rights, Yadav argued that the new system would lead to the erosion of freedoms for a specific community.

“In the current system of Waqf, whether it is a matter of restriction on religious observance for 5 years or interference of survey by the Collector or inclusion of outsiders in the Waqf Council or Board… the purpose of all these is to snatch the constitutional rights of a particular class and reduce their importance and control.”

He also warned of prolonged legal battles due to the bill’s provisions regarding judicial processes.

“Not accepting the decision of the tribunal as final and allowing it to be taken to the High Court will actually open the way to maintaining the occupation of Waqf land by trapping the land dispute in a long judicial process,” he explained.

Yadav challenged the government on whether similar measures would apply to religious trusts of other communities.

“Will a similar arrangement be made by including outsiders in the religious and charitable lands and trusts of other religions?” he questioned.

Accusations of Political Exploitation

The Samajwadi Party leader accused the BJP of attempting to seize control of Waqf lands and allocating them to its supporters.

“BJP has its eyes on the Waqf lands. It wants to take control of these lands and hand them over to its people through the back door,” he alleged.

He further claimed that the party was using the bill to create divisions within the Muslim community.

“BJP wants that by bringing the Waqf Bill, the Muslim community should feel that their rights are being violated, they should get agitated and BJP should get an opportunity to do the politics of polarization.”

Additionally, Yadav accused the ruling party of ignoring opposition voices on the issue, calling its actions undemocratic.

“BJP is an undemocratic party; it considers dissent as its strength. When most of the political parties of the country are against the Waqf Bill, then what is the need to bring it and why is there stubbornness?”

Threat to Secularism and Political Fallout

Expressing concerns over India’s global image, Yadav warned that the bill could harm the country’s secular reputation.

“The introduction of the Waqf Bill will send a wrong message to the whole world. This will be a big blow to the secular image of the country,” he stated.

He accused the BJP of using the bill as a tool to inflame communal tensions and gain political mileage.

“The Waqf Bill is a reprehensible conspiracy of BJP’s negative politics.”

Yadav concluded his critique by predicting that the move would ultimately backfire on the ruling party.

“The Waqf Bill will prove to be a Waterloo for the BJP,” he said.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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