New Delhi:

Parliament’s Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill met in Delhi for the first time today where officials from the minority affairs and law ministries are briefing them about the various amendments proposed in the draft law.

The 31-member committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the contentious bill, which has drawn protests from the opposition parties and Muslim organisations.

The representatives from the minority affairs ministry were expected to brief the committee on the “amendments proposed on the Bill”, the Lok Sabha secretariat said.

The JPC will discuss the bill threadbare and also the concerns over it, Mr Pal said ahead of the meeting, adding that voices of different stakeholders will be heard by the committee “We will discuss all the 44 amendments and bring a good and comprehensive Bill by next session,” he said.

Mr Pal said the committee will call various Muslim bodies representing different sects to hear their views.

The Bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal.

It proposes several reforms, including establishing a Central Waqf Council alongside state Waqf Boards with representation to the Muslim women and non-Muslim representatives.

A contentious provision of the Bill is the proposal to designate the district collector as the primary authority in determining whether a property is classified as Waqf or government land.

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and referred to a joint committee of Parliament after a heated debate, with the government asserting that the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques and the opposition calling it a targeting of Muslims and an attack on the Constitution.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.

New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP Thursday morning over proposed amendments to 44 sections of the Waqf Act of 1995, declaring the Bill a pretext to profit from sale of Waqf-owned lands and that the ruling outfit should rename itself ‘Bharatiya Zameen (land) Party’.

Mr Yadav’s sarcastic swipe came hours before Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tables the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act in the Lok Sabha.

The proposed amendments will change 44 sections of the older legislation, including allowing non-Muslims and Muslim women to be named to central and state Waqf bodies. Among other major proposed changes are omission of Section 40 from the existing law, which allows the Board to classify properties; this means it can, under current rules, declare any of its properties as Waqf.

“All these amendments… are just an excuse. Selling land (owned by) Defence Ministry, Railways, and Nazul land (i.e., land inherited from the colonial British government) is the target. Waqf Board lands are just another link in the chain of ‘schemes for the benefit of BJP’…” Mr Yadav said in Hindi on X.

‘वक़्फ़ बोर्ड’ का ये सब संशोधन भी बस एक बहाना है
रक्षा, रेल, नज़ूल लैंड की तरह ज़मीन बेचना निशाना है

वक़्फ़ बोर्ड की ज़मीनें, डिफ़ेंस लैंड, रेल लैंड, नज़ूल लैंड के बाद ‘भाजपाइयों के लाभार्थ योजना’ की शृंखला की एक और कड़ी मात्र हैं। भाजपा क्यों नहीं खुलकर लिख देती : ‘भाजपाई-हित… pic.twitter.com/VwK3YyWAG5

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) August 8, 2024

“Why doesn’t BJP openly write: ‘Issued in interest of BJP’? BJP is working like a real estate company. It should change its name by adding ‘Zameen’ instead of ‘Janta’: Bhartiya Zameen Party.”

Mr Yadav called for a “written guarantee that Waqf Board lands will not be sold”.

Waqf Boards across India own nearly eight lakh acres, making it the largest private land-owning organisation. The Defence Ministry and the Railways have more, but they are government-owned.

The proposal to alter the Waqf Act has been heavily criticised by the opposition and some members of the Muslim community, and fiery protests are likely when the amendments are tabled later today.

Earlier today, Congress MPs KC Venugopal and Hibi Eden filed notices to oppose introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha. Akhilesh Yadav’s party will also oppose the Bill.

NDTV Explains | Non-Muslims On Boards, Council Can’t Claim Land: Waqf Changes

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has given notice to oppose the amendments, claiming it is against rights guaranteed under the Constitution, including freedom to practice religion. “The amendments are discriminatory and arbitrary, and are a grave attack on the basic structure of the Constitution as it violates principle of judicial independence and separation of powers,” Mr Owaisi said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board said changes “will not be tolerated”. Spokesman SQR Ilyas said the government wants to change the status of Waqf properties so “possession is easier”. Also, the Tamil Nadu Board chief told NDTV called it a ploy to “weaken” and “destabilise” such organisations.

READ | ”No Need For Amendment”: Tamil Nadu Waqf Board On Centre’s Move

The government, however, has dismissed such claims.

Sources told NDTV the idea is to empower Muslim women and children who “suffered” under the old law. The objective, sources declared, is also to curb illegal occupancy of by Waqf boards.

READ | Waqf Law Change To Help Women, Say Government Sources

Sources also claimed a “dangerous narrative” is being manufactured by certain Muslim clerics who are making wild statements that their land will be snatched

The government, meanwhile, also wants the passage of the bill to be “inclusive” exercise, and is willing to send the amendments to a joint committee for further study, sources said.

The 1995 Wakf Act was passed to regulate ‘auqaf‘ (assets donated and notified as Waqf) by a ‘wakif’ (the person who dedicates the property). The legislation was last amended in 2013.

With input from agencies

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.