Muslim body headed by Congress MP seeks rejection of Waqf Bill

New Delhi: Muslim organisation headed by Congress MP Tariq Anwar on Friday demanded the rejection of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, alleging the proposed legislation is an "indirect attempt to seize control of Muslim religious properties".

The All India Qaumi Tanzeem submitted 14 pages of suggestions and objections to the bill to the Parliament's joint committee through the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

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

The All India Qaumi Tanzeem's objections include the opposition to the provision of induction of non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards.

"The Bill violates the Constitutional Rights guaranteed to minorities under Articles 14, 25, 26, and 29 for freedom and non-interference in their religious matters," it alleges.

"The new amendments in waqf laws have no justification and were intended to curtail the Muslim community's rights," the All India Qaumi Tanzeem said.

There is no immediate reason for bringing two Hindu members to each of the waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council, it said.

"It is aimed at portraying Muslims as communal. Any opposition to the inclusion of non-Muslims in waqf boards could be easily misinterpreted by vested interests as anti-Hindu. When Muslims are not allowed on the management bodies of Temples Gurudwaras, or other religious institutions, there is no justification for the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Waqf Board," it said.

"A statutory body like the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams established under Hindu Religious Endowment Act, does not have a Muslim representative," it said.

Under the Hindu Religious Endowment Act, the members of the committee of management must be people who practice the religion for which the institution was founded, and ideally reflect the wishes of the people who are interested in maintaining the institution, the Muslim organisation said.

Temple Trusts in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh hold more properties than Waqfs nationwide and are managed by its management committee and the government has no control over it, it said.

"Hence, the 2024 Bill is an indirect attempt to seize control of the Muslim religious properties under the control of the Waqf Boards throughout the country. Currently, the Waqf Board controls around 8.7 lakh properties spread over 9.4 lakh acres across the country, making the waqf board the third largest land owner, after the Indian Railways and the Ministry of Defence," it said.

In the present time, the Wakf Act 1995 is in force which is a central law dealing with all the affairs relating to waqf and waqf properties in a very effective and comprehensive manner which was also amended in 2013, it said.

"Even though everything was running smoothly under the present waqf law of 1995, suddenly the attention of the central government fell on the waqf data, which clearly discloses that there are about 8,70,000 waqf properties'. It causes unrest to the present Central Government and therefore with an ill motive to somehow gain control over the Waqf properties, the present Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was introduced on 8th of August 2024," the All India Qaumi Tanzeem said.

The new amendments do not speak of developing the waqf properties, it said, adding that if the government implements the 2013 recommendations then real progress in waqf development can be made.

The new amendments are also silent on the removal of encroachment from waqf properties, the Muslim organisation said.

"In view of above suggestions/objections, the undersigned, is seeking rejection of the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, completely and demand its withdrawal," it said.