Dalit, Sikh, Christian, Adivasi, and OBC organisations would also participate in the protest
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the umbrella body of Muslims in India, plans a massive demonstration at Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar on March 10, protesting against the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill.
The Union Cabinet last week cleared the Waqf bill and adopted the changes proposed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
The bill is expected to be tabled in the parliament in its session starting on 10 March. On the same day, the AIMPLB will hold a massive protest near the parliament. Before that, demonstrations will also be held in Patna and Vijayawada on 7 March.
In a press statement, Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, spokesperson for the AIMPLB and organizer of the protest said that the board, along with several Muslim organisations and the general Muslim community, has strongly presented its stance before the central government, its allied parties, and especially the JPC. They have emphasised that the proposed bill is a sinister conspiracy to seize and destroy Waqf properties, and it must be immediately withdrawn. However, the government has turned a deaf ear to these concerns.
“Now that the government is planning to present the bill in Parliament, the board’s executive committee has decided to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in front of Parliament on March 10 to awaken the conscience of the government and political parties and register their protest. The entire leadership of the AIMPLB, along with the central leadership of various religious, national, and social organisations, will participate in this protest. AIMPLB has also urged all opposition parties and civil society movements to join this sit-in protest and stand against this injustice and oppression,” said Dr. Ilyas.
The spokesman further stated that the social and political leadership of Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, along with religious leaders from the Sikh and Christian communities, will also be participating in this protest. Additionally, on March 7, demonstrations will be held in front of state assemblies in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) and Patna (Bihar).
The board also expressed anger over the fact that the country’s mainstream media was propagating baseless and misleading narratives pushed by communal forces. They claim that, after the military and railways, Waqf properties are the largest in the country. However, the combined Hindu Waqf properties in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, as well as temple properties in Odisha, are far greater than the total Waqf properties.
“Another crucial point is that all these Waqf properties were originally personal assets donated by Muslim ancestors for religious and charitable purposes. The Waqf law ensures their protection and prevents their misappropriation,” it said.
The Cabinet has reportedly approved 14 out of the 23 changes proposed by the JPC amid allegations of suppressing the voices of Opposition MPs.
Opposition MPs said that the JPC was biased and one-sided, adding that the dissent notes submitted by the panel members weren’t included in the report.
“In the JPC report on the Waqf Board, many members have their dissent report. It is not right to remove those notes and bulldoze our views. This is anti-democratic and condemnable. Stockholders were called from outside and their statements were taken. I condemn any report that has been presented after deleting the dissent reports,” said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
