Waqf Bill 'bulldozed' through in Lok Sabha: Sonia Gandhi at Congress parliamentary meet

Sonia Gandhi's comments at the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting highlight her strong opposition to the Waqf Bill and the One Nation, One Election Bill, framing them as attacks on the Constitution and tools for furthering the BJP's political agenda.

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She referred to the Waqf Bill as a "brazen assault on the Constitution" and criticised it as part of a larger strategy aimed at keeping society polarised.

Similarly, she expressed concern about the One Nation, One Election Bill, labeling it as another subversion of the Constitution, which she believes undermines democratic principles.All party MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were present at the meeting.

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Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the prime minister has rebranded, repackaged and marketed numerous initiatives taken during 2004-2014 as his own personal accomplishments. That too needs to be exposed through our own public outreach activities, she asserted.

Speaking on the functioning of both houses of Parliament, she charged that the Leaders of Opposition are not allowed to speak and the treasury benches are often found to be creating disturbance in a bid to not allow the Congress to raise their issues.

Noting that the BJP members aggressively target Congress-ruled state governments, with "total falsehoods", she urged party MPs to be equally aggressive and raise the failures and mis-governance in BJP-ruled states.

This will mean much more pointed homework and research on our part, she noted.

The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill well past midnight after a 12-hour debate.

The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by the opposition members were rejected by voice votes. It was passed after division of votes -- 288 in favour and 232 against. The Bill will now come up in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The Waqf Bill, in particular, seems to have drawn ire because of its potential to give the government greater control over Waqf properties, which are meant to be managed for the welfare of the Muslim community. Critics, including Sonia Gandhi, argue that this could lead to an encroachment on minority rights and further deepen divisions in society.

Regarding the One Nation, One Election Bill, the opposition sees it as an attempt by the BJP to centralise power and make it harder for regional parties to influence national elections. The bill proposes simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, which could change the dynamics of Indian politics by concentrating focus on national issues over regional ones.

 With PTI inputs