Muslim bodies denounce Waqf Bill as Centre tables it in Parliament

Lucknow/Varanasi/Bareilly (UP): As the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on Wednesday, Muslim bodies denounced it and said the amended provisions in it will do more harm than good to Muslims. 

It will be detrimental rather than beneficial for Muslims, a senior All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) official said.

"The AIMPLB and other Muslim organisations have conveyed their concerns over the Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), but they were not considered," Maulana Khalid Rashi Farangi Mahali, who is a senior executive member of the Board, told PTI.

"We have urged all MPs to consider the sentiments of the Muslim community and reject the proposed amendments," he said while asserting that Waqf properties hold religious significance comparable to fundamental Islamic practices.

In Bareilly, Ittihad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza said that the Bill would not be accepted under any circumstances.

"We cannot approve any such Bill, nor can we support anything that goes beyond the constitutional framework. We will oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill through democratic means," he said while talking to reporters.

He emphasised that the resistance against the Bill has not been adequate so far.

"We are accused of making illegal encroachments on Waqf properties, but our ancestors dedicated their properties to Waqf. Many rulers did the same, building temples and donating properties to them. Now, those very properties are being taken away," he said.

He alleged that the Bill, which is being brought, aims to harass Muslims and seize their lands.

"How has the BJP suddenly become such a well-wisher of Muslims? This is sheer deception in the name of protecting Muslim interests," he added.

However, some legal experts have welcomed the provisions in the Bill.

In Varanasi, lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain said the Bill has curtailed several "unchecked" powers previously held by Waqf boards, which is a “positive step”.

He pointed out that certain aspects of the Bill still needed debate, though.

"There is no provision to take back the property of any other religion or trust which has been declared as Waqf property. We have registered our protest against this," he said.

These statements come as the MPs are debating the Bill in the Parliament.

Despite setting up a JPC in the matter, no bipartisan consensus emerged between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and opposition parties, which have dubbed the Bill as "unconstitutional" and against the interest of the Muslim community.