India spoke through Bharat Bandh
Through the bandh that was called by opposition parties on Monday, it has been very evident that people are very upset with the current regime. The bandh called by Congress, other parties and other pro-people organisations has been a whopping success.
The whole country starting from Kashmir to Kanyakumari has spoken, and how! People participated in this bandh on their own accord. People had high expectations from the Narendra Modi government that assumed power four and half years ago, riding on its own lies.
People assumed black money would come into their bank accounts and each of them would get at least Rs 15 lakh as mentioned by the then PM candidate Modi. He had also assured them that he would create 2 crore jobs every year and that he’d control corruption, inflation/price rise, and run the government scam-free.
But none of these assurances were met in the last four and half years that Modi has been in the office. Not just that, he put everyone into unspeakable misery with his gimmicks of extracting black money, with demonetization that put people into massive hardships. No black money came out.
Another drama unfolded in the name of GST. Even that fell flat. Corporate defaulters like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya ran to foreign shores right under the nose of the government, with big loans taken from banks for their booty. The government in a way, aided their escape.
Rationale given for demonetization was that fake currency up to Rs 3 lakh crore would be controlled. But more than 99% money came back into banks. Over Rs 6 lakh crore was spent to print new notes. They not only let the people down, but subjected them to various difficulties.
Innocents were chased and killed by communal goondas under the name of Gau Raksha. The caution issued to them by the PM was just lip service. The Modi government tried its best to crush the Dalit voices across the country. This led to the death of a student Rohit Vemula in Hyderabad University, under suspicious circumstances.
The government attempted to saffronise the Jawaharlal Nehru University and created an environment of total unrest.
The promise of corruption-free administration has fallen flat. The government has been caught in quite a few big value scams regarding the Rafale warplanes deal with France. This whole issue was unknown to the minister of external affairs, and minister for defence. The PM had entered into this deal with the France-based company directly in order to make massive profits for Ambani and the others that are in his good books. The government does not reply to RTI queries regarding the deal.
The inflation has skyrocketed. Essential items consumed by people cost a lot more than they did before, and the government hardly intervenes to control prices.
Though the crude oil/petrol, diesel prices and LPG are a lot lesser than before in the international market, common people can never get the benefit of it. Each cylinder now costs over Rs 800 per unit. Diesel costs Rs 75 per litre now, and petrol is at Rs 85.
The common people have been so frustrated by all these expenses that they responded to Bharat Bandh quite well. Narendra Modi had assumed power with the assurance of creating 2 crore jobs every year. He hasn’t been able to deliver even 10 lakh jobs per year.
The government isn’t even willing to fill the vacancies right now. Since everything is boiling down to accountability, PM says one could even earn a livelihood by selling Pakodas. Another minister Nitin Gadkari says there are no jobs in the government so they cannot create reservation posts for the sake of people.
The population of India has crossed 130 cr. Unemployment is biting people hard. More than half of the young people are in tension about their future. If there is a vacancy for a few hundreds of posts, lakhs of applications come in for the same.
But the government is unable to provide jobs. According to available data, more than 24 lakh jobs are lying vacant in state and central government. They need to be filled fast. Education department alone has 10 lakh vacancies. Railways has 3 lakh, police department has 6 lakh vacant posts, Anganwadi has 2.2 lakh vacancies, Health sector is awaiting filing of 1.5 lakh posts with armed reserve forces showing a vacancy of 50,000 posts.
The government has been unable to meet its promises. Hence, people were forced to take to streets yesterday to express their anger against this government. Hope the message has gone out loud and clear.
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Parliament passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Parliament early Friday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had on Thursday approved the Bill after over a 12-hour debate.
In Rajya Sabha, the Bill got 128 votes in its favour and 95 against after all the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected.
In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.
"The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular," the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board.
He, however, said the number of non-Muslims has been restricted to only four out of 22.
Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill.
"You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream," he added.
He said for 60 years, the Congress and others ruled the country, but did not do much for Muslims and the community continues to live in poverty.
"Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them," the minister said.
According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf boards is reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.
A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.
The Bill proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.
It stipulates that women must receive their inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.
The Bill proposes that an officer above the rank of collector investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.
It also proposes that non-Muslim members be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.
