UP Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar Supports Waqf Bill and Supreme Court’s SC/ST Decision
Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh – Uttar Pradesh Minister and chief of Shuldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar has expressed his support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, stating that it will help stop land-grabbing and bring transparency. Rajbhar, who oversees matters related to the state Waqf board, said, “Waqf board says that this land is ours and people admit, to stop this land-grabbing, to bring transparency and to give proper representation to women, the government has introduced this bill.”
He emphasized that the bill is not intended to hurt any religion, countering opposition claims. Rajbhar mentioned that he receives 10 to 20 cases daily related to the Waqf board, where people allege land-grabbing by the board. He believes the amendment will address these issues.
A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee, including 21 Lok Sabha MPs and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, has been formed to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the bill and proposed sending it to the committee after opposition parties raised objections.
Rajbhar also welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision on the sub-classification of SC/ST communities. He argued that individuals who have reached high positions do not need reservations, stating, “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision and it should be implicated across the nation so the poor, backwards and other people who are struggling can reap the benefits.”
Earlier, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the Constitution, drafted by BR Ambedkar, does not include a provision for a creamy layer in SCs and STs reservations. The Supreme Court ruled that states have the power to sub-classify SCs and STs and can develop policies to identify and exclude the creamy layer from affirmative action benefits.
Doubts Revealed
UP -: UP stands for Uttar Pradesh, which is a state in northern India.
Om Prakash Rajbhar -: Om Prakash Rajbhar is a politician and a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.
Waqf Bill -: The Waqf Bill is a proposed law that aims to manage and regulate properties donated for religious or charitable purposes in Islam.
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India that makes important legal decisions.
SC/ST -: SC/ST stands for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which are groups of people in India who have historically faced discrimination and are given special support by the government.
sub-classification -: Sub-classification means dividing a larger group into smaller groups based on certain criteria.
reservations -: Reservations are a system in India where a certain number of jobs or school seats are set aside for people from disadvantaged communities like SC/ST.
31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee -: This is a group of 31 members from the Indian Parliament who will review and discuss the Waqf Bill before it becomes a law.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju -: Kiren Rijiju is a politician who is part of the central government of India and has introduced the Waqf Bill.
