“If a property is disputed, it is the judiciary which decides. How can political executive decide the disputes,” he asked.
HYDERABAD – AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said that the Modi government wants to snatch Waqf properties from Muslims and interfere with the freedom of religion through proposed amendments to the Waqf Act.
Issuing a video statement, he said that the media reports on the proposed Bill for amendments to the Waqf Act show that the government intends to dilute the autonomy of the Waqf Board and give powers to the executive to decide disputes relating to Waqf properties.
The Hyderabad MP slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for proposed amendments to restrict the powers of the Waqf Board. Owaisi questioned the proposed amendment to do a survey of Waqf properties in case of disputes. “If a property is disputed, it is the judiciary which decides. How can political executive decide the disputes,” he asked.
The MP alleged that the Modi government wants to create disputes with surveys. “To make a property disputed, they will do a survey and write that it is not Waqf property,” he said and pointed out that there are several mosques and dargahs that BJP and RSS claim are not mosques and dargahs.
Owaisi said BJP’s allies have to decide whether they will allow Waqf properties to be snatched from Muslims. “There are many Waqf properties in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Will they allow the BJP government to snatch these properties,” he asked without naming Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
He also hit out at the government for not informing the Parliament about the proposed amendments. “When Parliament is in session, the government is acting against Parliamentary supremacy and privileges. It is informing the media but not the Parliament,” he said.
Reacting to media reports, Owaisi lashed out at the government, accusing it of conspiracy to snatch Waqf properties. When Parliament is in session, it is the government’s responsibility to inform Parliament. He said that the proposed amendments show how the Modi government wants to snatch the autonomy of the Waqf board and wants to interfere against the purpose of ‘Waqif’ on how the property endowed by him should be administered. This is against the freedom of religion, he said and mentioned that once a property is declared Waqf always remains Waqf.
“The BJP from the beginning has been against the Waqf Board and Waqf properties. They have a Hindutva agenda. The RSS from the beginning made attempts to finish the Waqf Board and Waqf properties,” he said.
The Waqf Act empowers the Survey Commission appointed by a state government to identify Waqf properties and make a list. The Survey Commission sends the list to the state government and the government issues gazette notification. If the gazette notification is not challenged in a month, the properties listed become Waf properties. “The Modi government wants to change it. In the case of properties which were already declared Waqf, it has to be established again that they are Waqf properties,” he said, adding that the conclusive nature of the gazette is being diluted.
Owaisi said this would also give encroachers a chance to claim Waqf properties as their properties. “Under the Waqf Act, there is a Waqf Board in every state and it is responsible for the management and administration of Waqf properties. Amendment to Wakf Board establishment and composition will lead to chaos and loss of autonomy of Wakf Board. The government will have greater control over the Waqf Board. Media reports suggest the government wants to dilute the powers of Waqf tribunals,” he added.
“Supreme Court, while referring to the property, has said that ‘once a Wafq, always a Waqf’. Anyone neither can sell the property nor create a third-party right over the Waqf properties. Our elders have distributed these properties as charities which have come properly through the government gazette,” AIMIM Spokesperson Waris Pathan said.
He also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for trying to “snatch” Muslim properties. “We have been saying from the beginning that the BJP has ill intentions when it comes to the Muslim properties. They have a problem with Muslims. They have a problem with what we eat, with Hijab, madrassas and even masajids,” the AIMIM Spokesperson said.
He said that everyone knows that after the 1995 Waqf Act, it was amended in 2013. “They (BJP and RSS) have alleged that there is some dispute within the Waqf properties across the country. There are courts and judiciary which can handle these disputes. Who is the BJP to decide about the Waqf properties? Their (BJP and RSS) only agenda is to grab the Muslim properties,” he said.
He said that the BJP only wants to keep the Muslim community in a state of disruption which is why they (BJP) every day come up with something new against the community. Sources said that the Union government is discussing 40 amendments to the Waqf Act. The proposed amendments include mandatory verification of any property claims by the Waqf Board and changes to the structure of the Central and State Waqf Board Councils to ensure women’s representation.
The bill also proposes new verification for disputed lands claimed by state Waqf Boards. The Waqf Board Act, initially passed in 1954 during Jawaharlal Nehru’s government, aimed to simplify Waqf management and provisions.
It led to the establishment of the Central Waqf Council in 1964, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, providing advisory support on Waqf Board matters. The Waqf Act was amended in 1995 to allow the formation of Waqf Boards in all states and Union Territories. -IANS
