Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday called the Waqf (Amendment) Bill a “brazen assault” on the Indian Constitution, accusing the BJP of using it as a tool for “permanent polarisation” in society.
Speaking at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in Samvidhan Sadan, Gandhi said the bill was “bulldozed” through the Lok Sabha despite strong opposition. “The Modi government is dragging the country into an abyss where our Constitution will remain only on paper, and we know their intention is to demolish even that,” she warned.
Gandhi also linked the One Nation, One Election Bill to the BJP’s alleged attempts to undermine democratic institutions, vowing strong opposition.
“We must continue fighting for what is right and just, exposing the Modi government’s failures and its attempt to turn India into a surveillance state,” she urged Congress MPs, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who were present at the meeting.
She further accused Prime Minister Modi of “rebranding, repackaging, and marketing” initiatives taken during the UPA era (2004-2014) as his own achievements, calling for a public outreach campaign to counter these claims.
Regarding Parliament’s functioning, Gandhi alleged that opposition leaders were being silenced, while BJP members were deliberately creating disturbances to prevent Congress from raising important issues. She also urged party MPs to aggressively counter BJP’s misinformation about Congress-ruled states by doing thorough research on the failures of BJP governments.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill past midnight after a 12-hour-long debate, with all opposition amendments being rejected. The final tally stood at 288 votes in favor and 232 against. The bill will now be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
