The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has stepped up its campaign against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, cautioning BJP's key allies, TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar, that they will share responsibility if the bill is passed.
Addressing the 'Save Constitution Convention' at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani emphasised, "People of the country defeated the BJP. They did not accept their policies. This government is dependent on two crutches - a strong one is Chandrababu and the other is Bihar's Nitish Kumar."
He urged both of them to consider the sentiments of Muslims on the matter. Madani noted Naidu's absence but appreciated his party's vice president Nawab Jan attending, saying, "I had invited him, he excused himself but has sent his party's vice president Nawab Jan. I look at this positively as he will convey the sentiments of the people gathered here."
He reiterated, "If the Waqf Bill is passed ignoring the emotions of the Muslims -- it would be as much a responsibility of the crutches as it would be of other powers at the Centre."
The Jamiat plans to hold a gathering of five lakh Muslims in Naidu's constituency to convey Muslim sentiments, by the end of this month or in December.
Madani said the Waqf is established by "our ancestors and is a part of Allah's ownership, with mosques built on it".
"You (government) should protect them because we live in this country and we have not come from outside. If a Hindu is a Gujjar, a Muslim is also a Gujjar...Hindus are Jats, Muslims are also Jats -- They chant slogans saying that Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs are separate, but we say that 'Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians sab hai bhai bhai'," the Jamiat chief said.
"There are so many mosques, some of which are 400-500 years old, located in Delhi... There is a section in India that seeks to usurp these mosques... Who can present 500-year-old documents? The law states that any mosque built on Waqf land is indeed Waqf," Madani said.
He also said that the INDIA bloc and Rahul Gandhi had stated in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls that if they came to power, all minorities would be free to practise their religion, an assertion he appreciated.
About The Amendment
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, has been a topic of heated debate, with the government saying that it doesn't intend to interfere with mosque operations, while the opposition claims it targets Muslims and undermines the Constitution.
The committee's meetings have often seen tempers fly with opposition members accusing the Chair of inviting different organisations, including those working for Hindu causes, that have no stake in the Waqf issues and the BJP members charging their political rivals with deliberately disturbing the proceedings.
The bill proposes major changes to the Waqf Act 1995, including renaming the parent Act to "Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act, 1995". Other changes include mandatory registration of Waqf properties with the District Collector's Office for evaluation, and a new provision that a person can't create a Waqf unless they're the lawful owner and competent to transfer or dedicate the property.
Critics argue that the bill infringes upon the freedom of religion and autonomy of the Muslim community to manage their own religious affairs. There are also concerns that the proposed amendments grant greater powers to the government over Waqf properties.
