waqf-bill-setting-precedent-to-target-minorities-rahul

At a time when the absence and non-participation of the Gandhi siblings in the parliamentary debate is being questioned in many quarters, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, today alleged that the Waqf Bill attacks Muslims and sets a precedent to target other communities in future.

 

In a post on the microblogging site X, Gandhi shared an article which claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has now shifted its focus to Catholic Church land following the passage of the Waqf Bill.

 

“I had said that the Waqf Bill attacks Muslims now but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future,” he wrote on X.

 

“It didn’t take long for the RSS to turn its attention to Christians,” the Congress leader added, referring to the article.

 

“The Constitution is the only shield that protects our people from such attacks — and it is our collective duty to defend it,” Gandhi wrote. The Congress party strongly opposes this legislation, stating that it attacks the very idea of India and violates Article 25 — the Right to Freedom of Religion.

 

Congress leader K. C. Venugopal also shared another article pointing out that the Catholic Church has surpassed the Waqf Board in terms of landholdings. “As predicted, first one minority targeted, now onto the next,” he remarked.

 

Notably, Rahul Gandhi remained largely absent from the Lok Sabha during the heated debates on the Waqf Amendment Bill. He entered the House just before the voting, did not speak on the matter, and appeared reticent during the session.

 

The following morning, he posted on X about the Waqf amendments, describing them as “a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims”.

 

While Rahul Gandhi at least issued this statement as part of his political responsibility, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was absent throughout the Waqf debate and did not even attend the voting.

 

The non-participation of Rahul and Priyanka in the debate may well have been a part of a considered party strategy — to avoid making strong remarks in favour of the old Waqf law.

 

Such a stance might have further polarised the discussion, risked alienating a wider Hindu audience, and worked against the Congress.

 

However, the reality remains that even this ‘strategy’ appears to have yielded little benefit — neither for the party, nor for the brother-sister duo.