New Delhi:

A handful of people captured Waqf boards in the country and ordinary Muslims did not get justice, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told Lok Sabha today, countering the Opposition’s charge on the Waqf (Amendment) Act that was introduced today.

Mr Rijiju said the provisions in the proposed law are based on multiple inquiry reports over the years and wide-ranging consultations with lakhs of stakeholders.

To bolster his arguments, he cited several instances of encroachment and illegality by Waqf bodies. “Tiruchirapalli district is in Tamil Nadu. The 1,500-year-old Sundareshwar temple is located there. There, a man went to sell his property and was told that his village is a Waqf property. Just imagine, the entire village has been declared Waqf property. Don’t see religion here,” he said.

The minister also cited the example of Surat Municipal Corporation. “Surat Municipal Corporation headquarters was declared Waqf property. Can you imagine? How can this happen?”

“I am a Buddhist, not Hindu or Muslim, but I respect all religions. Don’t see this as a religious issue. Is the municipal corporation a private property? How can municipal property be declared Waqf property,” he questioned.

The minister also pointed to a 1976 inquiry report that recommended steps to discipline Waqf boards. He referred to Sachar committee’s recommendations for more representation in Waqf boards. “You should be happy, you made this committee,” he told the Opposition benches.

Playing up the provision in the proposed law that provides for the representation of Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Agakhani and other backward classes among Muslims, he said, “If one community is crushing smaller communities, how can this Parliament allow it?”

Mr Rijiju said that the Opposition is rooting for a small section of people capturing power in these bodies and that there is widespread discontent within Muslims for Waqf authorities.

He stressed that provisions in the Bill do not interfere with religious freedom or violate the Constitution in any way. The Centre has agreed to send the legislation to a joint parliamentary committee for scrutiny.

Mr Rijiju claimed that many leaders in the Opposition had privately told him that state Waqf boards had turned into mafia. “I won’t take their names and destroy their political careers,” he said.

Earlier, the Opposition targeted the Centre over the proposed changes over Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Congress’s KC Venugopal termed the proposed law “draconian” and said it is an attack on the freedom of religion and federal system. He also opposed the provision of appointing non-Muslim members to Waqf board.

Samajwadi Party, the second-largest Opposition force, also opposed the Bill. “No person from outside the community is part of other religious bodies. What is the point of including non-Muslims in Waqf bodies?” party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

Defending the legislation, Union Minister and leader of BJP ally JDU, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, said the Bill has been brought to make the functioning of Waqf boards transparent. Countering the Opposition’s charge that the Bill is against minorities, he referred to the 1984 anti-Sik riots in the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “Who killed thousands of Sikhs?” he asked.