BJP allies redefine “secular” politics with Waqf vote

Telugu Desam Party MP from Bapatla Krishna Prasad Tenneti has a way of carefully measuring his words, whether as presiding officer or when he speaks for his party in Lok Sabha. Mild mannered and blessed with an equanimous temperament, Tenneti remains unruffled when MPs insist on exceeding their allotted time or when angry accusations are exchanged. On Wednesday, his submissions on the Waqf Bill were heard intently as TDP was the first major Bharatiya Janata Party ally to speak on the legislation that drastically overhauls the functioning of the institution of endowments and charities under Islam.

For a just a brief moment, the Opposition benches held their breath as Tenneti began winding  up his speech on the Bill saying “I urge the Government to consider providing flexibility to the state governments in deciding the composition of their Waqf boards…Providing states the power to determine composition of the Waqf boards will ensure the welfare of the Muslim community.” Was there a “condition” to TDP’s support the Waqf act amendments? The flicker of hope, unlikely as it was, was snuffed as Tenneti went on to state that while he hoped TDP’s request will be considered while rules are framed, the party backed the bill in its current form.

Barely had Tenneti completed his speech with the words “…we support the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025”, Opposition benches erupted in anger. Cries of “shame, shame” rang out as a few Congress MPs expressed their disappointment and sought to berate the TDP contingent. There was, however, more to come when the TDP speaker was followed by Janata Dal (U)’s Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” who got to the point right away. “What is this Waqf? Is it any sort of a Muslim institution? It is a kind of trust that words for the benefit of Muslims. It is not a Muslim religious institution, but a narrative on these lines is sought to be created,” he said. In dismissing the proposition that Waqf Boards are “Muslim” issue, Lalan Singh forcefully demonstrated that JD(U) will not be swayed by arguments that the Waqf bill impacts Muslim “rights” and the implied risk of a minority backlash.

Lalan Singh, given his assertive persona, was less tolerant of attempts of some Opposition MPs to heckle him. He roundly admonished Congress MP from Hisar Jai Prakash, saying Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had done more for Muslims than any other leader in the state. In attacking the INDIA bloc for exploiting religious issues for votes, he sounded no different from any BJP speaker. He countered statements about JD(U)’s commitment to “secularism” being on test, saying the party and its leader did not need “certificates” from any political party. “Nitish Kumar and JD(U)’s definition of secularism is to work for all sections of society with creating controversies…Did you do justice to Muslims? It was during NDA period that justice was delivered to the victims of the Bhagalpur (communal) riots,” he said. More tellingly, his initial remarks were liberally sprinkled with praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Not all that long back, just ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, JD(U) had walked out of NDA over BJP’s decision to project Narendra Modi as its PM candidate. With Bihar due for polls in November, the JD(U) does not see any likely Muslim reaction to the wakf bill as a political handicap. Rather the Modi factor, in the party’s likely calculations, compensates for any deficit.

During the tenures of past NDA governments, the presence of “secular” allies like JD(U), TDP, DMK and others was seen a brake on BJP’s Hindutva agenda, the reason why the party downplayed its commitment to a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the uniform civil code and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ram temple pledge found its way in the NDA manifesto of 2004, but the defeat of the Vajpayee government turned the clock back again. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu soon left NDA, to return in 2014, leave again ahead of the 2019 election and return to the fold thereafter. His latest homecoming, as seems the case with Kumar too, looks more permanent. Naidu has not just stayed away from issues of language politics and delimitation raised by DMK leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, he has backed the three language formula and sees no devils in redrawing of parliamentary seats.

Making waqf boards accountable is not just an administrative exercise, much needed as it may be to curb tainted transfers of property that can severely disadvantage the inheritance rights of widows and other vulnerable sections, but it is also a political message. It was not a surprise the discussion saw a robust debate on “communal” politics and vote banks. If the idea was to corner BJP, particularly its allies, over going against “secular” concerns, the “veto” is over. And it is all the more remarkable as BJP lacks a majority on its own in Lok Sabha and it needs allies to pass legislation like the Waqf bill.

BJPIndian politicsJD(U)Krishna Prasad TennetiParliamentTDPWaqf BillWeb Exclusive