Kumar Bahukhandi
Modi government has presented the Waqf Bill in the Lok Sabha. Photo- By- Arrangements
After coming to power for the second time in 2019, the Narendra Modi government has implemented such big decisions which have directly affected the Muslim community. CAA, triple talaq abolition, question of UCC and now the Waqf bill are such decisions. In these matters, a large section of Muslims said that this is interference in their religious matters and an attack on religious identity. But the government called it progressive and the need of the hour.
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), abolition of triple talaq and steps towards Uniform Civil Code (UCC), after coming to power in 2014, the Narendra Modi government has taken some such big decisions which are directly related to the Muslim community. These decisions of the Narendra Modi government gave rise to widespread debate, support and opposition. There were even violent protests against CAA in some states of the country. Many people also lost their lives.
The major Muslim organisations of the country called these decisions of the Modi government a threat to religious freedom and identity. It was called the overreach of the government and the government machinery in religious matters. But the Modi government called these decisions a progressive decision taken according to the time and situation. The government argued that these decisions are steps taken in the direction of reform and equality.
Abolition of Triple Talaq
The then Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Marriage Rights) Bill, 2017 in the Lok Sabha on December 28, 2017. The BJP said that the purpose of this bill was to declare triple talaq illegal. This bill was to protect the rights of Muslim women and protect them from arbitrary divorce by their husbands.
The bill had a provision of punishment up to 3 years for the husband doing so. Let us tell you that the Supreme Court had declared triple talaq unconstitutional on 22 August 2017, after which the government made a law to criminalize it. This bill became a law in July 2019.
Muslim organisations had strongly opposed the law then. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said the law was “breaking up Muslim families”. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi opposed it in and outside Parliament. Darul Uloom Deoband called it unnecessary and Muslim organisations staged protests in Lucknow and Allahabad. In Mumbai, organisations like the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat opposed it and called it targeting Muslim men. Muslim leaders said the law targets Muslim men and criminalises family disputes. However, several women’s organisations supported the law, saying it empowers Muslim women and strengthens their social status.
Citizenship Amendment Act 2019
After the abolition of triple talaq, bringing the Citizenship Amendment Act was a big step of the Narendra Modi government. Muslims of India were not directly affected by this. Muslim organizations in the country opposed this law the most strongly. Violence broke out in UP against this law. Police also had to open fire.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, passed in December 2019, aimed to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Muslims were excluded from the purview of this law. Muslims opposed it for this reason and called this law divisive and discriminatory.
CAA was introduced on 9 December 2019 and passed on 11 December 2019, after which both violent and peaceful protests took place across the country.
Muslim organizations linked this law with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) without understanding it. Due to this, insecurity spread in the Muslim community, there were widespread protests across the country. The Muslim community and the opposition considered this law discriminatory and said that this law defines citizenship on the basis of religion.
The famous Shaheen Bagh movement took place in protest against this law, which lasted for several months. Women of the Muslim community came forward in this movement.
However, the government argued that this law is to give shelter to minorities suffering from religious persecution and is not against Muslims. No one will lose citizenship due to this law.
Uniform Civil Code (UCC)
Uniform Civil Code is an important agenda of the BJP government. BJP has also been mentioning it in its manifesto.
UCC has not yet become a law at the central level, but the Modi government has expressed its intention to implement it. UCC has been implemented in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand. While Gujarat is preparing to implement this law. CM Bhupendra Patel has formed a committee there to assess the need for this law. Recently, Law Minister Rushikesh Patel said in the state assembly that UCC is a step towards ensuring equal justice for all the people of the state and realizing the concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
UCC talks about a uniform personal law (marriage, divorce, inheritance etc.) for all religions. The government argues that UCC will promote gender equality and national unity. It is also mentioned in Article 44 of the Constitution. But Muslim organizations, especially the AIMPLB, have called it an attack on Muslim Personal Law (Sharia) and said that this law is an encroachment on religious rights. A section of the Muslim community fears that this will destroy their cultural and religious identity.
This law is being seen as part of the majoritarian agenda, which is likely to increase the conflict. The debate on UCC is still going on, but the feeling of insecurity and opposition to it has strengthened in the Muslim community.
Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025
Now after these three steps, the Narendra Modi government has moved ahead with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. First introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2024, the bill is for reforms in the management and properties of the Waqf Board, with provisions such as inclusion of non-Muslim members, property survey and transparency. The central government argues that the purpose of this law is to prevent corruption and misuse in Waqf properties as well as to benefit women and backward Muslims.
At the same time, organisations like AIMPLB and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind called it an attack on the autonomy of Waqf and said that as per the intention of the government, non-Muslims are being included in the board.
