New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI): With the government slated to table the revised Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament this week, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju has hit out at leaders seeking to “misguide” people and said Waqf law has been existence for decades.
“Some people are saying that this Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional. Waqf rules have been in existence since before independence… All these provisions are already in existence. If the Waqf Act has been in existence since before independence, then how can it be illegal? Innocent Muslims are being told and misled by saying that the government is going to snatch the properties and rights of the Muslims. The false things being spread by some people are very harmful for our society and nation,” Rijiju told media persons.
“I would like to request everyone to please identify those leaders who are lying. These are the people who misguided the country during CAA… I am very proud to say that minorities are the safest in India and minorities enjoy the best rights of freedom in India,” he added.
The proposed amendments to Waqf Act are being opposed by many opposition parties. Rijiju earlier said that criticising the bill was everyone’s right, but it must be substantial.
“Who are those who are opposing this bill? There are a few powerful people who have encroached upon the Waqf properties. They are misguiding people. They are saying the bill is unconstitutional. It’s everyone’s right to criticise things, but criticism must have some substance in it,” Rijiju told ANI.
Speaking about the letter sent by the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) extending support to the Waqf (Amendment Bill) and requesting MPs in the state to do the same, Rijiju said that many organisations across religious lines are supporting the bill proposed by the central government.
“The letter sent by the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council is extremely important for everybody. Many of the organisations across communities are supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. We must understand that the Bill is basically in the interest of the poor Muslims, children and women and also to ensure that the properties of the Waqf are managed in a transparent and accountable manner,” Rijiju said.
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that many Christian organisations, including the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), are extending support to the Waqf Amendment Bill proposed by the centre after poor families in the Munambam suburb claimed to be living under the threat of their land being seized by the Waqf board. He urged the MPs in the state to assist people instead of engaging in “appeasement politics”.
Highlighting the agitation being carried out for years against the threat of land being seized, the BJP leader urged the MPs in Kerala to fulfil their duties to assist people in trouble instead of engaging in “appeasement politics”.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) urged MPs to vote in favour of amending the “unconstitutional” and “unjust” provisions of the Waqf Act.
The statement issued by Fr. Thomas Tharayil of the KCBC secretariat said that provisions in the Waqf law, which legitimise the “illegal claims” in such a way that people in Munambam are unable to exercise their revenue claims on the land, need to be amended.
Around 610 families of Munambam, a coastal village in the Ernakulam district, have been protesting against the claim by the Waqf Board on their land.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said last week that Waqf Amendment Bill, will be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament. The Budget session is slated to conclude on April 4.
Addressing apprehensions among some parties about the Waqf Bill, Amit Shah said there is no need to be afraid of it.
“We will table the Waqf amendment bill in this Parliament session,” he said, when asked if it will be moved during the session.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee has already given its report on the Waqf Bill. Amit Shah said the bill will not be implemented with retrospective effect and people with grievances have the option to go the court.
“Nobody needs to get afraid of the Waqf Bill. In 2013, the Congress-led government passed the Waqf Bill and made several provisions that are not aligned with our Constitution. We are now trying to align the bill with constitutional principles,” Amit Shah said at Times Now Summit.
The joint committee of Parliament, which examined the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on March 31. The report was later tabled in the House. (ANI)
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