Waqf Bill a brazen assault on Constitution: Sonia Gandhi

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi termed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as an assault on the Constitution and as part of BJP's polarisation plank.

"Yesterday, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and today (Thursday), it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our party's position is clear. The bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself. It is very much part of BJP's deliberate strategy to keep our society in a state of permanent polarisation," She said while addressing the CPP general body.

Her assertion against the bill came when there was palpable curiosity in Congress, and the larger Opposition circles, about leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi not participating in Wednesday's Lok Sabha debate on the contentious bill and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not turning up during the debate and voting, prompting Congress sources to indicate that Priyanka "had to rush" out of town, perhaps abroad, to attend an "urgent family matter".

Sonia Gandhi also accused the government of not agreeing for a debate on the China issue. "We have been asking for a discussion in both Houses on the grave challenges posed by China on our borders and the shocking clean chit given to it by the prime minister on June 19, 2020. His statement adversely impacted our negotiating position, but that too was refused. Meanwhile, imports from China are booming and destroying our MSMEs that are the main job creators in the economy."

She alleged the government has become increasingly unaccommodating vis-a-vis Opposition issues in Parliament, denying the due right of the leader of the Opposition to speak many times, besides curtailing many important discussions.