Asaduddin Owaisi Criticizes BJP’s Proposed Waqf Board Amendment Bill
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 25: Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has criticized the BJP over the proposed Waqf Board (Amendment) Act bill. He claims that the bill, which aims to bring transparency in Waqf administration and property, is actually intended to dismantle the Waqf board.
Owaisi stated, “The Narendra Modi government is not bringing this bill to protect, develop or bring efficiency to the Waqf properties. This bill was presented to finish the Waqf board.” He further accused the BJP and RSS of spreading false propaganda, saying, “False propaganda is being spread by BJP-RSS that Waqf is a government property instead of private property. The other false propaganda is being spread that the Waqf board has 9,40,000 acres of land.”
Owaisi also highlighted a clause in the bill, questioning the criteria for a ‘practicing Muslim’ and criticizing the government’s interference in religious matters. He said, “It is written in it that a practicing Muslim from last 5 years can perform Waqf. What is the meaning of practicing Muslim?- will he be someone who reads Namaz 5 times a day, will have a beard or a skullcap… cap…will his wife be Muslim or non-muslim? Who are they to decide? No such law is there in the Hindu religion…Any Waqf property that is with the government its decision will be made by the Collector, how can collector who is a executive be a judge here?”
The Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 will conduct informal discussions in five states with various stakeholders from September 26 to October 1. These consultations aim to refine the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, which governs the management of over 600,000 registered waqf properties across the country. The Waqf Act, 1995, was created to regulate waqf properties, but it has long faced allegations of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitization, stricter audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. These consultations will play a vital role in ensuring that the amendments to the Waqf Act are practical, effective, and aligned with the needs of the community. The committee has to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the next parliament session.
Doubts Revealed
Asaduddin Owaisi -: Asaduddin Owaisi is an Indian politician and the leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) party. He often speaks about issues affecting Muslims in India.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is one of the major political parties in India. It is currently the ruling party in the country.
Waqf Board -: The Waqf Board is an organization that manages properties and assets donated for religious or charitable purposes in Islam. These properties are called Waqf properties.
Amendment Bill -: An amendment bill is a proposal to change or add to an existing law. In this case, it is about changing the rules related to the Waqf Board.
RSS -: RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is a Hindu nationalist organization in India. It is closely associated with the BJP.
Digitization -: Digitization means converting information into a digital format. For the Waqf Board, it means keeping records of properties and transactions on computers instead of paper.
Stricter audits -: Stricter audits mean more thorough checks and reviews of financial records to ensure everything is correct and legal.
Parliamentary committee -: A parliamentary committee is a group of members from the parliament who are assigned to discuss and review specific issues or bills before they are passed into law.
