Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 29 (ANI): Former Uttarakhand CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat said that changes have been needed in the Waqf Bill 2024 from the beginning, but the government should win the trust of those who will be affected by it.

He alleged that the Union government was forcing the bill on the concerned people without considering the opinion of the JPC members of the opposition.

'We have been saying this from the very start that if they consider these changes important, then they should win the trust of those people who will be affected by this...But you are forcing this Bill on the concerned people. You did not consider the opinion of JPC members from the opposition. The laws whose amendments can disrupt the harmony of the country should not be forced on the people...', Harish Rawat said to ANI on Saturday.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has appealed to Muslims across the country to wear black armbands on Alvida Juma, the last Friday of Ramzan, in protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.

AIMPLB's call to Muslims to wear black armbands as a mark of protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill while offering namaz on the occasion of Alvida Jumma drew a significant response. Several people were seen wearing the armbands while offering the Friday prayers in Lucknow, Hyderabad and other cities.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and TPCC General Secretary and Congress MLC elect Addanki Dayakar criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. While, Owaisi supported the 'black band' protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, by the order of AIMPLB.In Hyderabad AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is also part of the JPC on the Waqf bill, joined in the symbolic protest wearing a black armband as he offered prayers on Friday. (ANI)