Maulana Kalbe Jawad leads a massive demonstration against the Waqf Bill in Lucknow
Team Clarion
LUCKNOW – Influential Shia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Naqvi on Friday led a massive protest against the BJP government’s move to introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament.
The protest at the historic Asafi Mosque in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh after Friday noon’s congregational prayers was organised under the aegis of Majlis Ulama-e-Hind.
Chanting slogans against the BJP government’s anti-Waqf policies, the protesters vociferously demanded the withdrawal of the contentious bill.
Addressing the gathering, Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi stressed that Muslims would never accept the Waqf Amendment Bill. He accused the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill of deceiving Muslims, stating that it conveniently discarded all suggestions sent to it.
The Shia scholar also assured that his supporters would whole-heartedly participate in any demonstration called by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and other Muslim organisations.
Maulana Kalbe Jawad further claimed that some self-serving and power-hungry individuals from the Muslim community were supporting the bill, creating a false impression that the majority of Muslims were in its favour. “This is pure deception because all Muslims and religious scholars oppose this bill,” he asserted. He alleged that the government was attempting to forcibly pass the bill to seize the Waqf properties.
He said the bill was designed to destroy Waqf institutions and pointed at the deteriorating condition of properties managed by district magistrates and commissioners, such as the Hussainabad Trust and the Shahi Shifakhana in Lucknow’s Chowk area.
He said Hussainabad Trust’s buildings were in a dilapidated condition, with not even one per cent of the income being spent on maintenance. He further claimed that illegal encroachments, including the construction of temples, had taken place on trust lands, and rooms meant for poor patients at Shahi Shifakhana had been converted into luxurious shops.
Maulana Kalbe Jawad condemned the government’s plan to place Waqf properties under the supervision of district magistrates and commissioners, whom he accused of corruption and mismanagement. To support his claims, he showed photographs of the dilapidated conditions of Waqf properties to the media and the protesters.
The cleric also alleged that the government aimed to weaken the Muslim community economically by seizing Waqf properties. “The government claims that Waqf’s income will be used for the welfare of the poor, but this is a deception,” he said. He challenged the government to use the vast gold reserves in Hindu temples for public welfare instead of targeting Waqf properties. “Why is the government only making laws for Waqf properties? Temples should also be brought under this framework, and the gold and silver in temples should be handed over to the Reserve Bank of India to benefit the nation’s economy,” he suggested.
Maulana Jawad accused the BJP of bringing the Waqf Amendment Bill to appease fascist and hardline elements, abandoning its slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (Together with all, development for all). He reaffirmed that Muslims would never accept the bill and would continue their opposition.
The cleric called upon all Muslims to collectively resist the bill and urged them to participate in protests organised under the banner of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, emphasising that it was a religious duty to stop the bill from being passed.
The AIMPLB has called for a massive protest and dharna at the iconic Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on March 13 against the Waqf Amendment Bill.
