Modi govt amended Waqf Act on VHP’s suggestion despite reduced mandate: Meghwal

Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday, 13 September, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “strong” government amended the Waqf Act on the suggestion of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), even though the BJP won only 240 seats in last year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking at a meeting of the VHP’s legal cell, Meghwal said, “We have respected your sentiments in the past and will continue to do so in the future.”

The minister also sought the VHP’s input on the ongoing debate over criminalising marital rape, noting that the government needs to present its stance in cases currently before the courts. Multiple petitions have been filed seeking legal recognition of marital rape as a crime.

Addressing concerns raised during the 2024 general election campaign, Meghwal said there was a need to examine why fears were spread that the BJP intended to alter the Constitution and scrap reservations. Rival parties, particularly the Congress, had cited the BJP’s “Abki Baar, 400 Paar” slogan to make this allegation, which the party denied.

“Why did such a wrong perception emerge that the Constitution would be changed and reservations abolished? These unfounded fears harmed us too,” Meghwal said, adding that promoting social harmony was essential to prevent such misconceptions.

Later in the day, Meghwal visited Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, where he paid floral tributes at the memorial to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.

With PTI inputs