Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday urged Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party head Chandrababu Naidu to prevent the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill from “causing damage to the national unity and communal harmony of the country”.

The ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh are allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party. They are part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

On January 29, a joint parliamentary committee adopted the revised 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill after a vote, with 15 votes in favour of its draft report and 11 against. Two days earlier, it cleared the bill after accepting proposals from NDA members. Amendments proposed by Opposition MPs were rejected.

In her letter to Kumar and Naidu on Friday, Mufti said that the proposed legislation came at a time when Muslims were being “systematically disenfranchised, disempowered and marginalised politically, socially and economically”.

While the bill appeared to “reform” waqf properties, its true objective was to undermine the Waqf Act, which was formed to “protect and preserve properties dedicated to the social and economic upliftment of Muslims for religious and charitable purposes”, she told the two chief ministers.

A waqf is a property given for a religious, educational or charitable cause by Muslims. In India, waqfs are governed under the Waqf Act. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity, which is empowered to acquire, hold and transfer property. The Act was last amended in 2013.

The new amendment bill has been opposed by leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc and Muslim groups, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, who maintain that it violates the right to freedom of religion and the freedom to manage religious affairs.

The 44 amendments in the bill, which were tabled in Parliament in August, propose to curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them. They would also allow non-Muslims to become board members, restrict property donations and alter the function of waqf tribunals.

The draft legislation was referred to the joint parliamentary committee on August 8 after objections from the Opposition.

“Perhaps what’s most concerning is the utter disregard to the misgivings raised by the Opposition parties in the form of dissent notes submitted to the joint parliamentary committee,” the Peoples Democratic Party chief wrote in her letter.

Several Opposition MPs of the committee submitted dissent notes against the bill after its adoption on January 29.

Mufti added: “The exercise of consultation seems farcical without any genuine effort to to consult the community most affected by this unconstitutional, unconscionable and authoritarian bill.”

Each proposed amendment not only contradicted the interests of the Muslim community but also constituted a “direct assault” on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, she wrote.

Terming the proposed bill as “deeply divisive”, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said it was a clear manifestation of the majoritarianism that had fuelled bigotry and the marginalisation of Muslims since 2014.

The “essence” of Mahatma Gandhi’s vision for India was being “altered, undermining the secular fabric that binds this nation together,” the letter said.

“You have always been a staunch believer in our Constitution and have consistently championed the spirit of Ganga-Jamuni brotherhood,” Mufti told Kumar and Naidu. “Today, as key members of the NDA, you are uniquely positioned to influence this matter and halt this onslaught.”

The letter came a day after National Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi also said that he would make a “final appeal” to the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party on the concerns of the Muslim community about the bill, The Indian Express reported.

Having fallen short of the majority mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP formed the government at the Centre with the help of the Janata Dal (United), among other members of its NDA.