"Will Not Implement Waqf Bill In West Bengal": Mamata Banerjee (image:facebook.com/MamataBanerjeeOfficial)
Kolkata, West Bengal: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday stated that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will not be implemented in West Bengal. While addressing the Jain community in Kolkata, Mamata said that she would protect the minority people and their property.
“I know you are aggrieved because of the enactment of the Waqf Act. Have faith, nothing will happen in Bengal by which one can divide and rule. You send out a message that all have to stay together,” she said while speaking at a ‘Navkar Mahamantra Divas’ programme in Kolkata.
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In her speech, Mamata had also added a cautionary note to the community members by saying not to fall into political traps. “If anyone provokes you to assemble politically, please don’t do it. If we stay together, then we can conquer the world,” she said.
The Waqf Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday after marathon debates in both the Houses of the Parliament. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Bill on Saturday.
Banerjee, referring to the recent uprising in the Murshidabad district with regard to the Waqf Bill, said, “See the situation in the bordering areas of Bangladesh. This Waqf Bill should not have been passed now. We have 33 per cent of minorities in Bengal.”
“History says that Bengal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India all were together. Partition took place later. And those who are living here, it’s our job to give them protection,” she said.
The government announced the Waqf Bill on Wednesday, through a gazetted notification, that the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 came into force on April 9. Soon after the Bill came into effect, violence erupted in West Bengal’s Murshidabad. The administration even cut down internet services to prevent the spread of misinformation.
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The new amendment in the Waqf Bill was brought in to streamline the management of the Waqf properties through updated definitions, digital integration, and greater transparency, the Centre says. Though the Centre had stressed the importance of the reform, the Opposition has called it a targeted law meant to curtail minority rights.
