'Not just Hindus, Christians too are affected': Annamalai blasts Stalin for opposing Waqf Bill

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Thursday slammed Chief Minister M K Stalin and the DMK over their protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing them of playing vote-bank politics at the cost of religious harmony. Responding to Stalin's black badge protest in the Assembly and his announcement to challenge the bill in the Supreme Court, Annamalai said it's not just Hindus but Christians too who have suffered due to the previous Waqf law.

"DMK's misadventure in assembly today, which includes the DMK alliance MLAs wearing black badges and Stalin proclaiming they will challenge the Waqf Bill in the Supreme Court, is, of late, becoming extremely predictable! All this drama is to save a portion of their minority vote bank,” Annamalai posted on X.

“Has the TN CM not realised that it is not just Hindus but also Christians who are also the affected parties due to the previous Waqf law? Kindly don’t use the assembly for your theatrics, Stalin,” he added, accusing the ruling party of staging political drama ahead of upcoming elections.

Annamalai also mocked what he called DMK’s next step: “Their follow-up drama would be for DMK to hire someone next year before the elections to write a book titled ‘Appa’s Efforts to Oppose the 2025 Waqf Bill.’ DMK will make this an election plank and misguide innocent Muslims in the 2026 assembly and 2029 parliament elections. DMK only knows to Deceive & Divide.”

Earlier in the day, CM Stalin said the bill was an “attack on the structure of the Constitution” and confirmed that DMK would approach the Supreme Court. “Tamil Nadu will fight against the Union government's law which destroys the autonomy of the Waqf Board and threatens the minority Muslim population,” he said in the Assembly.

The Centre has defended the bill, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah citing multiple instances of alleged misuse of Waqf provisions under the 2013 amendment made by the UPA government. Shah said land from religious and public institutions across states — such as the 1500-year-old Tiruchendur temple in Tamil Nadu, Christian properties, and public infrastructure — were wrongfully claimed as Waqf.

"If the Waqf law had not been amended in 2013, this bill would not have been necessary. However, before the 2014 elections, in 2013, the Waqf law was drastically altered overnight for the sake of appeasement, which led to the allocation of 123 high-profile properties in the Lutyens' Zone of Delhi to Waqf," Shah said.

"The Delhi Waqf Board transferred the land of Northern Railways to Waqf. In Himachal Pradesh, land was illegally converted into Waqf property and used to build unauthorised mosques. In Tamil Nadu, 400 acres of land belonging to the 1500-year-old Tiruchendur temple were declared Waqf property."

"According to a report from a committee in Karnataka, 29,000 acres of Waqf land were leased for commercial use. Between 2001 and 2012, Waqf properties worth ₹2 lakh crore were leased to private institutions for 100 years. The High Court in Bengaluru had to intervene to stop the acquisition of 602 acres of land. In Honwad village, Vijaypur, Karnataka, 1500 acres of land was made controversial, and this land, worth ₹500 crore, was leased to a five-star hotel for just ₹12,000 per month."

"In Karnataka, a claim was made on the Dattapeeth temple. In Taliparamba, an attempt was made to seize 600 acres of land based on a 75-year-old claim. Even properties belonging to the Christian community were seized," the home minister said in Lok Sabha.