Congress MP Mohammad Jawed who on Friday moved the Supreme Court docket difficult the Waqf (Modification) Invoice is the occasion’s chief whip in Parliament. A veteran Muslim chief and four-time MLA, he earned that submit resulting from his feat of successful his final two Lok Sabha elections from Bihar, regardless of his occasion struggling within the state.
The plea filed by Jawed, who was additionally within the Joint Committee of Parliament that examined the Waqf Invoice, says the laws “imposes arbitrary restrictions on Waqf properties and their administration, thereby undermining the non secular autonomy of the Muslim group”.
Talking to The Indian Categorical Friday night, Jawed mentioned he filed the petition within the apex court docket in his “private capability”. “This Invoice is in opposition to the Structure and, as a person, I’ve challenged it.”
The son of Mohammad Hussain Azad, who was a six-time MLA and multiple-time minister in Bihar, Jawed is a skilled physician, having achieved his MBBS from Authorities Medical Faculty, Srinagar. He entered electoral politics together with his first contest – and win – in 2000, from the Thakurganj Meeting seat, which falls in his dwelling district of Kishanganj. Following Jawed’s win, the RJD inducted him as a minister within the authorities led by it on the time.
Within the February 2005 Meeting elections, Jawed received from Thakurganj once more, though recent elections had been held months later after no occasion was capable of type the federal government. When the polls had been necessitated therefore in October 2005, Jawed misplaced the seat to a Samajwadi Social gathering candidate.
In 2010, Jawed contested once more, this time from the Kishanganj Meeting seat, which he retained in 2015. However earlier than his time period ended, he switched to Parliamentary elections and received from the Kishanganj Lok Sabha seat, changing into the one non-NDA MP from the state in 2019. That yr, he defeated the Janata Dal (United)’s Syed Mahmood Ashraf by virtually 35,000 votes.
In final yr’s Lok Sabha elections, Jawed trumped the JD(U)’s Mujahid Alam by greater than 59,000 votes to retain the seat. This makes Jawed among the many most distinguished Congress faces as Bihar elections strategy.
Story continues beneath this advert
Regardless of being the chief whip, Jawed maintains a low profile, one purpose he’s trusted by the occasion excessive command. “He has been delivering in elections. He received the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from his seat – which was a uncommon feat in these elections. Whereas he will not be too seen on TV or on social media, he retains doing his work for the occasion, retaining his head down. The Congress high management is aware of that he won’t ever hurt the occasion’s prospects,” mentioned a senior Congress chief.
Jawed had questioned the proceedings of the Joint Committee of Parliament over the Waqf Invoice, saying in October final yr that “non secular organisations that don’t belong to the Muslim group” had been being invited. He mentioned this ought to be “reconsidered” as “Muslim illustration is just not sought” in issues regarding different non secular communities.
In an interview with The Indian Categorical in January, Jawed mentioned that the committee’s proceedings had been an “eyewash”. “A farce, an eyewash. It’s an enormous joke on the folks of India. That’s all I’ll say,” he mentioned.
Later, Jawed, together with Congress MPs and fellow panel members Imran Masood and Syed Naseer Hussain, submitted a joint dissent observe,which was included within the ultimate report of the Home panel. Of their observe, the MPs alleged “procedural lapses within the committee’s functioning” and alleged that the Invoice is pushed by political agenda and never real concern for the administration of waqf properties.
Story continues beneath this advert
In his plea difficult the Invoice, Jawed mentioned it violates a number of rights enshrined within the Structure – from Article 15 (equality earlier than the regulation) and Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of faith, race, caste, intercourse or hometown) to Article 25 (freedom of faith), Article 26 (freedom to handle non secular affairs), and Article 29 (safety of pursuits of minorities).
Whereas Jawed has filed a plea difficult the waqf laws in his “private capability”, sources mentioned the Congress can also be prone to problem it with a petition to be filed within the identify of the Congress and its basic secretary (organisation) Ok C Venugopal.
