Waqf Bill aims to prevent misuse of properties, claims Pralhad Joshi

Hubballi, April 5 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Saturday claimed that there is rampant favouritism and “misuse” of Waqf properties, and many have “encroached” upon Waqf assets.

“The Central government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after thorough deliberation and to bring about necessary changes in the Waqf system. It is not anti-Muslim. The NDA government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has not introduced the Bill unconstitutionally. This amendment was introduced only after six months of detailed deliberation and discussions, including the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee,” the Union Minister told media reports.

He claimed that Congress is opposing the Bill, fearing political backlash.

“Sonia Gandhi doesn’t believe in democracy. Her ‘prince’, Rahul Gandhi, had previously torn up one of the bills. This kind of attitude shows their disdain for democratic processes,” he said.

Joshi further claimed that in many parts of the country, even Hindu properties have been declared as Waqf properties.

“The Waqf Board has been functioning without transparency or accountability. Many Muslim homes have been wrongly marked as Waqf property. Similarly, properties of Hindus have also been misclassified. In old Hubballi, many Muslim households are shown as Waqf properties. In places like Vijayapura, Haveri, Dharwad, and others, even farmers' lands are declared as Waqf property. After carefully reviewing all this, the Bill has been brought to protect the poor and uphold social justice,” he said.

Joshi emphasised the need for transparency in Waqf Board management. “In Karnataka alone, Waqf land spans about 54,000 acres. If it were properly managed, as per the Sachar Committee report, it could generate a revenue of Rs 12,000 crore. Where is that revenue?” he questioned, accusing the Waqf Board of gross misuse.

Responding to the suicide of a BJP worker, Joshi said, “If FIRs are being filed just for social media posts, it shows the extent of Congress’ misuse of power. Congress workers have posted things against us before - did we file FIRs against them?”

--IANS

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