AIMPLB president claims Naidu, Nitish Kumar have assured to oppose Waqf Bill

New Delhi: All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Khalid Saifullah Rahmani on Thursday claimed that TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar have assured the Muslim bodies that their parties would oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

His remarks came at a joint press conference of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hindi and other Muslim organisations where they asserted that they will launch a nationwide movement if the proposed legislation is not withdrawn and exhaust all measures within the ambit of law.

"We have met various opposition parties. We also met Chandrababu Naidu, who assured us that 'we will oppose this bill'. We met Nitish Kumar yesterday and he also assured us that 'we will oppose this bill'. Tejashwi Yadav has also assured us that his party would oppose the bill. Uddhav Thackeray has made a statement that he would not allow anyone to lay a hand on the Waqf and Tamil Nadu Chief minister M K Stalin has also said he would oppose," Rahmani said.

Specifically asked about the details of the meeting with Naidu and Kumar, Rahmani did not give a direct answer and said the Muslim organisations want all secular parties, including the BJP allies, to support their stand in view of justice and secularism.

"We can't elaborate on that. We have met them. This is not a Hindu-Muslim issue, it is an issue of justice and injustice. So we want all secular parties, including the BJP allies, to support us in view of justice and secularism...We said we have met these people, they have made statements in public also like Tejashwi Yadav," he said.

Rahmani said the Muslim organisations have not got any invitation from Parliament's joint committee on the Waqf Bill and if they do, they would explain their stand before the panel.

"We have not got an invitation till now. But in case if we are invited, we will go and all our organisations -- All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadees -- are ready for it and will put forward our point of view," the AIMPLB president said.

The day the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8, among the BJP's allies, while the Shiv Sena and JD(U) strongly backed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the TDP supported the proposed law but called for wider consultation and sending it to a parliamentary committee, the LJP (Ram Vilas) chose not to speak in the House.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha and referred to a joint parliamentary panel after a heated debate, with the government asserting the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques and the opposition calling it targeting of the Muslims and an attack on the Constitution.

Speaking at the presser on Thursday, Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani said the changes proposed in the bill were unacceptable and if this is passed it would create massive discord in the society.

Who can produce Waqf papers of the mosques, which are 400 years old and other such religious places, he asked.

In their statement, AIMPLB, Jamiat-Ulema Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ahl Hadith and other Muslim organisations said the Muslim community at large knows and understands that this is a "mischievous" act of the Centre.

"On the face of it, the proposed amendments are arbitrary and violative of Articles 25, 26, 29 and 14 of the Constitution. On the contrary, the government is projecting these issues in a very innocent manner portraying as if it is beneficial for the community at large. We totally reject the bill, which has been brought to destroy the waqf properties and pave the way for their encroachment," the Muslim bodies said.

"We strongly demand the government to withdraw it immediately - We also appeal to the secular political parties in the NDA and all opposition parties, never to allow this bill to be passed by Parliament," they said.

"We will take all legal and democratic measures along with other minorities and all fair-minded people of the country to persuade the government not to press the bill in Parliament," the Muslim bodies said.

AIMPLB spokesperson S Q R Ilyas said the Muslim community is totally united and alleged that this bill has been brought to "usurp Waqf properties".

Hitting out at various clauses of the bill, Rahmani said it is mandatory for the management and maintenance of Hindu endowments that its members and trustees adhere to the Hindu faith and similarly, the members of the Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee must also be from the Sikh community.

He said the clause of having non-Muslims in Waqf Board is unconstitutional and illegal.

He said the amendments clearly curtail the powers of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards and pave way for government intervention.

"The proposed bill has given arbitrary powers to the collector and the administration. When the administration is regularly razing the Muslim buildings by bulldozer on mere allegations one can easily guess what will be their attitude to waqf properties," the Muslim bodies said.

The press conference came on a day the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill held its marathon first meeting.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on August 30.