The party also dispatched its general secretary, minority cell, Fathullah Mohammad, to Delhi to speak to its alliance partners and the Muslim clergy to soften their reactions to the perceived ramifications of the changed bill. It also directed its MPs to convince the BJP to convene a meeting with the four influential institutions - Tablighi Jamaat, Ah le Hadees, Ah le Sunnat, and the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board.

Waqf, UCC and the impact on Andhra

The party fears an adverse reaction from Muslim voters in the state if the powers of the Waqf Board were weakened with the 40-odd amendments proposed by the Union government. TDP leaders have also alleged that the timing of the UCC’s announcement on Independence Day is to gain political ground before the crucial four-state elections are due in a few weeks.

“On both the UCC and the Waqf bill, we need to know what aspects of civilian life will be impacted if the UCC is passed. Ours is a secular country and the Indian Constitution allows citizens to practice their religion according to their faith system. The BJP should have ideally discussed this issue with the alliance partners before announcing it publicly,” said a senior TDP leader who has been with the party since inception.

The Waqf Board in Andhra is the largest owner of assets after the Indian Railways. Just 10 km outside the capital city of Amaravati, the Waqf owns a prime property of 110 acres. Muslim leaders in the TDP and the Minorities Commission fear that this parcel of land and others will be forcefully taken back.

“All land issues need to be resolved amicably. From Srinagar to Kanyakumari, everyone encroaches upon land across faiths. It is made out to be a case against Muslims. I am not sure how not having Muslims on the Waqf Central Council or the Waqf Board helps resolve issues. But we will seek court intervention if the reform leads to danger bells ringing and our lands being compromised,” said Fathullah Mohammad, the TDP general secretary of the minority cell.

Does the TDP fear that its interests will be shortchanged in the NDA?

“We do not foresee a situation where the bill would be passed without suggestions from our religious institutions,” the TDP leader said. That said, a TDP national spokesperson mentioned that the communication lines are smooth between the BJP and its allies and that the NDA is working effectively. “We see that the BJP is making an effort to reach out to us. We are ensuring that our input always reaches the right people be it on the hiring of lateral entrants or the NEET issue,” the leader said.

However, with the TDP netting more than 70% of the minority vote in the state, it would have an adverse impact in the Rayalaseema region where nearly 50% of the Muslim community reside in Andhra. Andhra Pradesh has close to 75 lakh Muslims with more than 50% of the Muslims living in four Rayalaseema districts and the remaining scattered between the coast and the delta region. Nearly 9% of Andhra’s population are Muslims.

NMD Farooq, a senior leader from the state, is apprehensive that if the Waqf bill is passed without taking all inputs, the TDP would be seen as a party that does not have much influence over the Union government. From instituting the Minorities Finance Commission in 1985 to having the Haj House built in Hyderabad, and establishing the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Urdu University in then Andhra Pradesh, the TD founder, and former chief minister NT Rama Rao and current AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu have a reputation of safeguarding the interests of minorities.

“What we have now is a tricky situation. But we feel assured that as long as Naidu is part of the NDA, there is no threat to secularism,” NMD Farooq said.

Deepika Amirapu is a freelance journalist based in Hyderabad.