'Yeh dalaali band kare BJP ki': Congress MP Imran Masood slams Syed Naseruddin Chishty for backing Waqf bill

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Imran Masood, a member of the Waqf Amendment Bill Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), has strongly criticized Syed Naseruddin Chishty, Chairman of All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, for supporting the government's Waqf reforms.
Masood accused Chishty of "brokering" for the BJP, stating "Yeh dalaali band kare BJP ki" on April 1 in New Delhi.

Syed Naseruddin Chishty had expressed support for reforming the Waqf Board and urged the Muslim community not to be influenced by emotional statements against the Waqf Amendment Bill.
"The Waqf (Amendment) Bill that the Government of India is bringing, it had already expressed its intention...The JPC has heard all the parties very patiently and sent a report to government. Hopefully the bill that will come will be good...I believe that the existing Waqf Act needs to be changed and no one needs to be afraid of it... We should believe the official statements only. An attempt is being made to provoke emotions, which is wrong," Chishty said.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, also known as the 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill', seeks to implement reforms including digitization, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
Masood criticized the BJP-led government, claiming that Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi is not allowed to speak in Parliament and that he himself was only given 55 seconds to speak during the entire Budget Session.
"Where is there talk of debate and discussion? LoP is not allowed to speak. They turn off the mics. On 27th March, all the floor leaders wrote to the Speaker regarding this. As soon as we start speaking, they turn off the mic. There is only one-way traffic. Whatever the government wants to speak, they will speak; you keep listening...It (Waqf Bill) is completely unconstitutional; it overlaps many sections of the Constitution. Overlapping of sections of the Constitution cannot be done. It is bulldozing on the protection of our rights that the Constitution has given us...The opposition is being crushed. They don't allow us to speak. In this entire session, I only spoke for 55 seconds," said Masood.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Central Government of suppressing Opposition leaders' voices in Parliament.
Congress MP Rajeev Shukla criticized the interruption faced by Rahul Gandhi during a parliamentary session, noting that even BJP MPs were unaware of the reasons behind it.
"Even the BJP MPs don't know why Rahul Gandhi was stopped (by the Speaker) and a comment was made on him (to follow Rule 349)," Shukla said.
Rahul Gandhi expressed his frustration about not being allowed to speak in the House.
"I am never allowed to speak. I don't know what they are scared of?" Gandhi said while heading towards Parliament.