The Rising Storm Over Waqf in Bengal

The dramatic U-turn of Mamata Banerjee Regarding Waqf Act 2025 spells disaster for Muslims.  The ever-defiant Mamata Banerjee often shows resilience to implement any stipulations of the center. Whether its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) or the Waqf registration in UMEED portal, she shows defiance in the beginning. When pressure mounts,  she accepts the decision and leaves the citizens of West Bengal in the lurch. Such flip-flop stance has sparked a storm in West Bengal politics. Waqf in Bengal controversy has arisen because of such fiasco.

The center launched the UMEED Portal (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development) on June 6, 2025. It is compulsory to register all Waqf properties by December 06, 2025. The Secretary, P.B. Salim, sent a letter to all District Magistrates on Thursday, November 27, 2025. He advised them to upload the details of all Waqf properties in compliance with the new Waqf Act 2025. So, the mutawallis have fallen in a precarious condition. Worth mentioning that West Bengal has got 82,000 registered waqf properties. A huge number of documents accompanies the upload and makes the task immensely difficult. Mamata Banerjee’s volt-faces have unsettled West Bengal politics. So, her dream, Waqf in Bengal has become a curse today.

Flashpoint in Mamata Banerjee’s Vote Strategy

Mamata tried to display her usual fondness for Muslims. She said Bengal had opened a portal for them. But mutawallis must actually upload the data to the central portal. She claimed she passed a law in the Assembly to address the issues of Waqf Act 2025. No one seems to know of any law for Waqf in Bengal. And when the Centre already has a law on an issue, the state law cannot override it. That is what the federal structure of the Constitution clearly says. West Bengal politics can not isolate itself from the rest of India.

Muslims began started protesting first against Waqf Act 2025. Seeing the scale of the protests and the police inaction, the BJP attacked Mamata Banerjee. Then she assured the Muslims, “We are looking into it”.  She even urged them to go to Delhi and protest there against Waqf in Bengal. Muslims have trusted her for a long time. Critics allege that the Muslims control the West Bengal politics to a large extent.

Finally, she gave only seven days of time and pushed everyone into trouble. She also quietly hid the fact that the constitution has forced her to comply with the central law. It was obvious that her logic of Waqf in Bengal will go in vein. Only it lead to irreparable loss of time. She forgets most important issue. If Muslims begin to see Mamata Banerjee as a loose cannon, it could seriously damage her political prospects.

However, it is not just about the Waqf issue. Recently, Mamata Banerjee’s attitude has shown several signs of fear and insecurity. It seems things are not going the way she wants.

Waqf in Bengal: Another epic

She felt not only anger but also shock at the courage of some booth-level officers who went to Delhi for training without her knowledge. In a state where not even a leaf moves without her permission, this incident stunned her.

She first stubbornly insisted that SIR would not happen. But it is happening. She said she would not punish a few officers despite the Election Commission’s order. But she had to punish them. She said there would be no Waqf in the state. But she had to allow it under pressure. Likewise, her Waqf in Bengal has also gone to dust.

On one hand, Humayun Kabir received massive support for his initiative to build a mosque modelled after the Babri Masjid. The Muslims, who always saw him as a messiah, helped his suspended leader achieve success. This has become a serious headache for Mamata Banerjee. The SIR is uncovering shocking revelations one after another. Several Muslims are fleeing to Bangladesh. And now, the Waqf issue has surfaced. West Bengal Politics faces a turbulence.

Since Mamata runs both the government and the party herself, it is becoming extremely difficult for her to digest so many blows at the same time.

Rising Storm of Communal Politics

Accused of appeasing Muslims, Mamata Banerjee has started building temples one after another to secure at least some Hindu votes. As a result, Muslims are already a bit displeased with her. Then the Babri issue and the Waqf issue pushed her into even deeper trouble. For years, she used a section of Muslims as her reliable vote machinery. If they suddenly turn against her, she knows better than anyone what the consequences could be.

People say Mamata understands women voters better than anyone else. Does she have deep concerns after seeing the writings on the wall?