CPIM leader Yusuf Tarigami meets  press in Srinagar, terms Waqf Bill an assault on Muslims’ rights

Srinagar: CPI (M) senior leader and MLA Kulgam Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami on Monday said that Jammu and Kashmir is being persistently targeted by the incumbent government in the centre and termed the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill as an assault on the rights of Muslims.

Addressing a news conference here, Tarigami said that CPI (M), during its recent Party Congress held in Madurai, has unanimously resolved that the Waqf Amendment Act is an assault on the rights of the Muslim minority.

“During the Party Congress in Madurai, delegates from across the country, including those with deep associations with the faith, writers, and people who have dedicated their lives to political and social matters, unanimously concluded that the Waqf Amendment Act is a serious infringement on the rights of the Muslim minority.”

He further said that such measures threaten the democratic framework and constitutional values of the country. “This is what we highlighted there. Because of such actions, the democratic fabric and constitutional structure of our country are being weakened,” he said.

Tarigami appealed to civil society, parliamentarians, legislators, writers, and the media to raise their voices. “Whether it is an attack on minorities, on democracy, on institutions, or on constitutional rights—one never knows what will be targeted next. Before it’s too late, voices must be raised,” he added.

He also said that in a recent assembly meeting, several honourable members demanded a debate on the issue. “It was appropriate for us to raise this question, as it deeply concerns the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the country at large. But unfortunately, no debate was allowed. And there should have been one. I said this in the assembly as well.”

Referring to other pressing issues, Tarigami said, “As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, the Party Congress also unanimously passed resolutions on the issues of casual labourers, daily wagers, need-based workers, Anganwadi workers, helpers, and ASHA workers. These workers, even today, are struggling to earn two meals a day. The central government has repeatedly assured that those working under daily wage and need-based schemes should be paid minimum wages, but the ground reality remains different.”

In another resolution adopted by the party congress, CPI(M) asks Centre to restore full statehood to J&K. The unconstitutional abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A had dismembered and downgraded the State, with its bifurcation into Union Territories (UTs) creating a deep political void , intensifying the sense of uncertainty and alienation among the people.

It said that despite a slew of oppressive measures taken by the BJP-led Centre, people turned out in large numbers to vote in the Assembly polls held after a gap of seven years and delivered a verdict against the Union government. But the Centre continued to undermine the democratic verdict.

The resolution urged the government to restore full statehood to J&K, protect land and job rights, restore democratic civil and trade union rights, release political detainees and journalists and end indiscriminate arrests of the youth on baseless charges, he said. —(KNO)