Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in the state. Addressing a programme of the Jain community in Kolkata, Banerjee said she will 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,” she said.
“See the situation in Bangladesh. This (Waqf Bill) should have not been passed now,” Banerjee said. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, where the BJD has no member, on Thursday, and by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of Friday after marathon debates in both Houses of Parliament. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Bill on Saturday.
Amid violent protests in West Bengal over the Waqf law, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the Muslim community of the state that her government would ensure the protection of their properties. “Some people ask why I visit places of all religion. I said I would continue to visit in my entire lifetime. Even if you shoot me dead, you will not be able to separate me from unity. There won’t be division in Bengal, jiyo aur jeene do (live, and let live),” the fiery Trinamool chief said.
In Bengal’s Murshidabad, police vehicles were torched and stones pelted as a group of protesters clashed with the police during protests against the Waqf law, which came into effect on April 8. The law expands the Centre’s oversight over properties donated by Muslims, known as Waqf.
