According to an estimate, the Waqf Board has only a little less land than the Army and Railways in the country. The Board has about 8.7 lakh registered lands, whose area is around 9.4 lakh acres. This means that the Waqf Board cannot be taken lightly. It is being said that the government can curtail the unlimited rights of the Board by bringing the Waqf Board Amendment Bill this week. Like the CAA, this matter is also related to the Muslim minority of the country. Obviously, it is bound to be opposed. It is possible that this time there may be even more strong opposition than the kind of opposition that was done against the CAA. When the CAA law was passed by the Parliament in 2019, there was so much opposition that the government could not muster the courage to implement it for about four years. The thing to think about is that when the CAA had no direct impact on the Muslims of the country, then such a big movement was started. Lakhs of Muslims of the country are associated with the Waqf Board. It is a matter of property worth billions and trillions. It is clear that the heat of protest is going to be more intense this time. In the cabinet meeting held on Friday, a proposal to amend the Wakf Act by 40 people has been approved. After the amendment bill is passed in the Parliament, there is talk of the uncontrolled powers of the Wakf Board being reduced considerably, but no one is talking about those reforms which are necessary for the minority community.
Why opposition to necessary reforms in Waqf Board?
It is being told that till 2009, the Waqf Board had 3 lakh registered Waqf properties of up to 4 lakh acres. In just 13 years, the Waqf land doubled. Today, there are more than 8 lakh 72 thousand 292 registered Waqf immovable properties spread over 8 lakh acres of land. How did this happen? In 2013, the Congress-led UPA government brought amendments in the Basic Waqf Act of 1995 and gave more powers to the Waqf Boards. The Act was amended to give unlimited powers to the Waqf Boards to snatch property, which cannot be challenged in any court. The purpose of the board is to ensure the protection of Waqf properties and their proper management, but after the formation of this law, the Waqf Board started playing some other game. It is said that in the amendment made in 2013, the Waqf Board was given the right that if the Waqf Board says that the property is Waqf property, then no one will be able to save it. Because even the court has not been given the right to hear a case against the board in the 2013 amendment. Obviously, if this law is amended in the new Waqf Board Bill, then it should not be opposed.
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People belonging to the Muslim community are themselves questioning why the government is not amending the Waqf Board Act? Only powerful people are included in the board. Corruption charges are also being leveled. There is a demand for making arrangements for transparency. Former UP government minister and BJP leader Mohsin Raza says that the entire country and society demanded that such a law should be made. The Waqf Board has misused the 1995 Act a lot. The Waqf Boards have misused their powers arbitrarily. If a property is wrongly registered as Waqf property, how will it be removed? The Waqf Board is not a court that decides which property is Waqf and which is not. Our officials have the right to take decisions. This amendment is being brought so that if there is any complaint, our officials will hear it and the officials will tell what action the Waqf Board should take.
Waqf property has become the property of powerful leaders like Owaisi, they will definitely protest
Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), says that our ancestors donated a large part of their property and they made it a Waqf under Islamic law. It is important that the property should be used only for those charitable purposes for which it was donated by our ancestors. But here such a huge board does not have money for the welfare of poor Muslims. Because the powerful Muslims have not only captured the board but they also have control over the Waqf lands. Waqf Welfare Forum Chairman Javed Ahmed, calling the government’s intention right, claimed that if the new bill is implemented properly, the minorities will benefit a lot. Javed says that Owaisi’s work is going on on property worth 3 thousand crores or more in Telangana. This property belongs to the Waqf. The Act says that Waqf property cannot be leased for more than 30 years. But this is not being followed. In return, the Waqf receives a very nominal rent, while as per the rules, this rent should be as per the market rate.
Not only Owaisi, there are many other powerful people in the Muslim community who have been leasing Waqf property for years. Jamaat-e-Ulema Hind has a lot of Waqf property in Delhi. But neither the board nor the deprived Muslims are getting any benefit from it. Similarly, Qazi Sameer, the President of Maharashtra Waqf Board, has encroached upon 275 acres of Waqf. There must be two hundred such leaders and institutions. If the bill comes, there will be transparency.
Opposition parties have sounded the bugle against BJP
An atmosphere is being created regarding the Waqf Board Bill that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government is bringing this bill to harass the Muslims of the country. Many leaders have started saying openly that the BJP government wants to usurp the lands of the Waqf Board through this law. It is clear that a base is being prepared to incite Muslims against the government. Just like Muslims were incited against CAA, the same thing is happening.
Congress is not speaking anything openly. Just like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not mention CAA anywhere in both his tours and never mentioned CAA in his speeches. Something similar is going on with the Waqf Board till now. But it cannot be said what will be the stand of Congress in the coming days.
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had strongly opposed the CAA. As of now, he is in jail, it remains to be seen what stance the Aam Aadmi Party will take. However, AAP leader Sanjay Singh has criticized it. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has blown the trumpet against this bill.
Akhilesh Yadav said, ‘BJP has no other work except snatching the rights of Muslim brothers. BJP wants to snatch away their right to freedom or the right to follow their religion, the right to maintain their working system.’
The opposition of Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is well known. He had to oppose the government on this issue. He says that this amendment in the Waqf Act is being done with the intention of snatching away Waqf properties. This is an attack on the right to religious freedom given in the Constitution. RSS has always had the intention of snatching away Waqf properties.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari also feels that the government’s focus is somewhere else and its target is somewhere else. The current central government adopts these methods to target a particular religion, raise controversial issues and prevent discussion on real issues. It is clear that the ground for protest has been prepared.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)