West Bengal on the Brink: Could Unrest Over the Waqf Amendment Invoke President’s Rule?

 West Bengal—long celebrated for its rich tapestry of culture and history—has once again become the epicenter of national attention. The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 ignited fierce demonstrations that have, in turn, prompted several BJP allies and Hindu nationalist organizations to demand the imposition of President’s Rule. As violent clashes escalate, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration stands accused of administrative laxity and minority appeasement. Yet, the question remains: is central intervention through Article 356 a constitutional imperative or merely a high-stakes political maneuver?

The Demand for President’s Rule

A vocal chorus—including the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)—contends that the TMC government has willfully neglected its duty to maintain public order. They point to incidents in Murshidabad where mobs allegedly torched property and forced Hindu families from their homes. VHP General Secretary Milind Parande charges Chief Minister Banerjee with caring more for electoral arithmetic than for law and order, while Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske has described her silence as tantamount to “criminal negligence.”

Parallel to these street-level protests, senior BJP figures—most notably Union Home Minister Amit Shah—allege that the TMC’s inaction is a calculated strategy to polarize voters ahead of the 2026 state elections. An NDA delegation plans to formally appeal to President Droupadi Murmu, insisting that only central rule can restore peace and impartial governance.

Roots of the Unrest

Enacted on April 5, 2025, the Waqf (Amendment) Act centralizes oversight of Muslim religious endowments, mandates rigorous re‑registration of properties, and empowers the central Waqf Board in ways critics argue diminish community autonomy. In West Bengal, where Muslims account for over a quarter of the population, the amendment spurred violent protests in Malda, Murshidabad, and Bhangar. Demonstrators clashed with police, set fire to vehicles, and, according to reports, targeted Hindu homes in retaliatory attacks.

The state government’s hesitation to deploy central forces—only ordering reinforcements after a directive from the Calcutta High Court—has fueled accusations of abdication of duty. Chief Minister Banerjee’s public refusal to enforce the Act, deeming it “unconstitutional,” has further deepened the standoff between New Delhi and Kolkata.

Political Chessboard: Polarization or Provocation?

Both major parties face charges of communal opportunism. The BJP portrays the unrest as proof of the TMC’s so‑called “minority-first” bias, while the Congress and AIMIM denounce the Waqf amendment as a thinly veiled assault on Muslim institutions. Observers note that political violence in Bengal, once characterized by ideological clashes, has increasingly acquired a communal hue since 2017, with both the BJP and TMC accused of stoking tensions for electoral gain.

Some analysts warn that the current crisis may be a manufactured flashpoint—designed less to redress genuine grievances than to harden voter identities along religious lines. Whether polarization or provocation prevails will depend largely on which side can sustain momentum in the run‑up to next year’s assembly polls.

Walking the Constitutional Tightrope

Article 356 empowers the President to assume direct control of a state when its government cannot function in accordance with constitutional provisions. Yet its history is marred by accusations of misuse for political ends. In hearings before the Supreme Court, the violence was described as “deeply troubling,” but justices urged restraint and preserved the status quo until judicial review concludes.

Legal scholars point out that the Waqf amendment may conflict with fundamental rights—including equality (Article 14), religious freedom (Article 25), and minority cultural rights (Article 26). The TMC’s outright defiance raises crucial questions about the balance of power between the Centre and the states: must a duly enacted central law be implemented immediately, or can a state government delay enforcement on constitutional grounds?

The Road Ahead

Three variables will determine whether President’s Rule becomes more than a threat:

  1. Intensity of Violence
    Further clashes may bolster the case for central takeover, though the current deployment of paramilitary forces has quelled the worst outbreaks.
  2. Judicial Outcome
    A Supreme Court verdict nullifying the Waqf amendment could defuse tensions, whereas upholding it would strengthen the Centre’s hand.
  3. Electoral Calculus
    With the assembly polls looming, any overreach by New Delhi risks galvanizing the TMC’s minority and secular base, even as the BJP seeks to consolidate Hindu voters.


West Bengal stands at a constitutional crossroads. The invocation of President’s Rule would mark an extraordinary assertion of central authority, further straining India’s federal fabric. For now, all eyes are on the courts—and on whether Bengal’s resilient society can weather this storm without succumbing to a wider breakdown in governance.


Follow Whips and Wickets for ongoing analysis of India’s ever‑evolving political theater

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