Below is a toolkit designed to guide activists, community leaders, and organizations in advocating for the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. It should feel deja-vu moment for some because it relies on the exact same strategy that led to the repeal of the three farm bills in 2021. This toolkit provides a step-by-step framework, inspired by the farm laws’ repeal process, and includes actionable strategies, resources, and templates to mobilize public support, engage with political and judicial systems, and pressure the government for repeal.

Objective

To secure the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, by emulating the strategy that led to the repeal of the three farm bills in 2021, through coordinated protests, judicial intervention, political advocacy, and legislative action.

Step 1: Mobilize Public Support Through Sustained Protests

Goal: Build widespread public pressure by organizing large-scale, peaceful protests, akin to the farmers’ movement at Delhi’s borders (2020-2021), to compel government action.

Strategies:

  • Form a Coalition: Unite Muslim organizations (e.g., AIMPLB, Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind), opposition parties (Congress, AIMIM, DMK, SP, AAP, RJD, TMC), and civil society groups (e.g., APCR). Include non-Muslim allies, such as Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, to frame the issue as a defense of secularism.
  • Plan Protests: Conduct sit-ins at key locations like Jantar Mantar, Delhi, and state capitals (Lucknow, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram), with weekly rallies and monthly Bharat Bandhs starting May 2025. Aim for a scale surpassing the Shaheen Bagh protests, ensuring robust funding through community contributions, crowdfunding and others.
  • Engage Social Media: Launch a hashtag campaign (#RepealWaqfAct2025) and share impactful stories of affected Muslims to gain emotional support from diverse communities, especially including Hindus. Provide YouTubers with SEO-optimized scripts and trending hashtags to amplify the narrative, ensuring ethical collaboration.
  • Grassroots Outreach: Conduct door-to-door campaigns in Muslim-majority areas, focusing on the Act’s impact (e.g., removal of “waqf by user”) and framing it as an interference in Islamic practices to rally community support.

Resources:

  • Protest Schedule: Weekly sit-ins at Jantar Mantar every Friday from May 2025, culminating in a major rally on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (September 2025).
  • Social Media Post: “The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, undermines our religious rights. Join us at Jantar Mantar on [date] to demand its repeal. #RepealWaqfAct2025”

Step 2: Pursue Judicial Intervention

Goal: Obtain a Supreme Court stay on the Act, similar to the farm laws’ stay in January 2021, to pause its implementation and sustain protest momentum.

Strategies:

  • Support Petitions: Bolster the seven existing Supreme Court petitions by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, Amanatullah Khan, Mohammad Jawed, Asaduddin Owaisi, APCR, and IUML, which challenge the Act’s constitutionality.
  • Engage Legal Experts: Collaborate with senior advocates like Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi to highlight discriminatory provisions (e.g., non-Muslim inclusion, five-year Islam practice requirement).
  • Publicize Hearings: Use media to report court proceedings accurately, emphasizing constitutional violations to build public support.
  • Reject Compromises: Insist on full repeal, rejecting partial amendments, to maintain pressure on the judiciary.

Resources:

  • Legal Fact Sheet: Key arguments include: “The Act violates Article 26 by undermining Muslim autonomy” and “Non-Muslim inclusion in Waqf Boards breaches Article 15.”
  • Court Update Post: “Supreme Court stays Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, on [date]. A step toward justice—join us to demand full repeal! #RepealWaqfAct2025”

Step 3: Apply Political Pressure and Leverage Electoral Dynamics

Goal: Create a political liability for the BJP and NDA allies, mirroring the electoral concerns in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh that led to the farm laws’ repeal.

Strategies:

  • Target Key States: Focus on states with significant Muslim populations and upcoming elections, such as Bihar (2025), West Bengal (2026), and Uttar Pradesh (2027), through voter awareness campaigns on the Act’s threat to secularism.
  • Pressure NDA Allies: Exploit vulnerabilities in NDA allies like JD(U), TDP, and Shiv Sena, leveraging the resignation of five JD(U) leaders on April 4, 2025, to push for defections or abstentions.
  • Unify Opposition: Form a platform like “Save Secular India” for opposition parties to demand repeal, with leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Asaduddin Owaisi leading joint rallies.
  • Electoral Messaging: Frame the Act as a BJP polarization tactic, using slogans like “Protect Waqf, Protect Secularism” to appeal to diverse voters.

Resources:

  • Voter Flyer: “The Waqf Act threatens your rights! Support leaders who will repeal it in [state] elections. #RepealWaqfAct2025”
  • Letter to MPs: “Dear [MP Name], I urge you to support the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, to uphold secularism and justice.”

Step 4: Secure Government Announcement and Legislative Repeal

Goal: Pressure the government to announce repeal, as Modi did on November 19, 2021, for the farm laws, and ensure swift passage of a repeal bill.

Strategies:

  • Sustain Protests: Continue protests through late 2025, peaking on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (September 2025), to force a government response.
  • Engage Government: Use backchannels to negotiate repeal while rejecting amendments, highlighting electoral risks.
  • Push for Repeal Bill: Draft and support a Waqf (Amendment) Repeal Bill, 2025, for the Winter Session (November 2025), advocating for transparent debate.
  • Monitor Assent: Ensure President Droupadi Murmu grants prompt assent, as with the farm laws on December 1, 2021.

Resources:

  • Draft Repeal Bill: “Waqf (Amendment) Repeal Bill, 2025: To repeal the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, and restore the Waqf Act, 1995, safeguarding constitutional rights.”
  • Announcement Post: “Victory! PM Modi announces Waqf Act repeal on [date]. Thank you for your support! #RepealWaqfAct2025”

Step 5: Ensure Post-Repeal Accountability

Goal: Address community concerns and prevent future overreach, learning from unresolved issues post-farm laws’ repeal (e.g., MSP guarantees).

Strategies:

  • Monitor Implementation: Form a committee with AIMPLB and opposition leaders to ensure the Waqf Act, 1995, is fully restored.
  • Advocate Reforms: Propose a balanced waqf management framework addressing transparency (e.g., digitization) while preserving autonomy.
  • Strengthen Protections: Use judicial rulings to secure stronger legal safeguards for waqf properties.
  • Sustain Momentum: Leverage the repeal to unite opposition for future elections, addressing related demands like compensation for losses.

Resources:

  • Post-Repeal Demands: “1. Fully restore Waqf Act, 1995. 2. Protect ‘waqf by user.’ 3. Ensure community-led Waqf Boards. 4. Compensate affected communities. 5. Restore Survey Commissioner position and powers 6. Ensure Waqf Tribunals once again have the last or final say and other courts cannot interfere. ”
  • Community Update: “Waqf Act repealed! Let’s ensure fair management and protect our rights. #SaveWaqfProperties”

Key Considerations

  • Feasibility: The farm protests’ scale (more than 50% of India’s population enjoys tax benefits tied to agriculture) may be hard to replicate for the Waqf Act, which affects a communal issue (Muslims: 14% of population as per 2011 census (actual population unknown). Broader secular support is essential.
  • Political Dynamics: The BJP’s majority (288 Lok Sabha votes, 128 Rajya Sabha votes for the Act) poses a challenge. Opposition (232 Lok Sabha votes) must exploit NDA vulnerabilities (e.g., JD(U) resignations).
  • Communal Risks: Framing the issue as secular can widen support, but the BJP may counter with a “minority appeasement” narrative. Protests must remain peaceful to avoid tensions.
  • Judicial Role: A Supreme Court stay is likely, but full repeal may depend on legislative action if the Court opts for partial amendments.

Anticipated Timeline

  • April-May 2025: Protests begin; Supreme Court stays the Act.
  • June-September 2025: Protests peak on Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi.
  • November 19, 2025: Modi announces repeal.
  • November 29, 2025: Repeal bill passes Parliament.
  • December 1, 2025: Presidential assent; Act repealed.

This toolkit provides a strategic framework for advocating the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, through public mobilization, legal action, political advocacy, and legislative efforts, drawing on the farm laws’ repeal strategy. Success hinges on sustained momentum, strategic alliances, and careful navigation of India’s political and communal landscape.

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