Sense of insecurity among minorities in Odisha; BJD will oppose Waqf Bill: Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Asserting that there is a “sense of insecurity” among the minority communities in Odisha, BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said his party would “strongly oppose” the Waqf (Amendment) Bill if it is tabled in Parliament.

Patnaik, also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said Odisha is known for harmony, brotherhood and peace.

“The BJD will strongly oppose the bill if it is tabled in Parliament,” the five-time former chief minister, who had severed alliance with the BJP after the 2008 communal riots in Kandhamal, said.

Though the BJD has no MP in the Lok Sabha, it has eight members in the Rajya Sabha.

The contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to reform the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal. It has been referred to a joint parliamentary panel.

The BJD chief, while addressing the concluding session of the BJD Minority Cell meeting at ‘Sankha Bhawan’ here, also claimed that he has been meeting people from minority communities every day, and they have expressed a “sense of insecurity”.

"We are proud of our cultural diversity. Cooperation of everyone is required to build a prosperous country," Patnaik asserted.

Earlier, while participating in a debate in the assembly on August 31, Patnaik had expressed concern over the law and order situation in the state.

“All of us know that shortly after the present government took office, there was a communal incident... several communal incidents in Balasore district and in several parts of the state,” he had claimed.

“... Odisha was known for communal peace and harmony and this should be maintained at all cost,” he had said.

BJD Minority Cell leader Munna Khan told reporters here that it is truly a secular party, and it is neither part of the NDA nor the INDIA bloc.

“The BJD had earlier supported some of the bills introduced by the NDA government for the sake of cooperative federalism,” he said.

Khan also asserted that the BJD would not tolerate any attempt to disrupt social harmony in Odisha.