49 amendments passed in Parliament about Waqf Bill are irrelevant, says Hyderabad MP Owaisi

Hyderabad: As many as 49 amendments passed in the Parliament regarding the Waqf Amendment Bill have no connection with Waqf, said Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Protesting the enforcement of the bill after it was passed by the House, he called for a public demonstration on April 19 at Darussalam in Hyderabad.

On Sunday afternoon, Hyderabad is going to witness the protest ‘Waqf Bachao March Against Waqf Act’ at Hussain Sagar from 3 pm.

Members of Congress party, civil society, advocates, professionals, members of non-government organisations and many others are said to participate in the protests.

Uttar Pradesh holds 91 per cent of the Waqf properties

MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, “We are against the law brought by the prime minister Narendra Modi-led government, which will create more disputes and take away the title of Waqf from properties. The main intention of the act is to make the encroacher the owner of the property. I appeal to all to protest this bill peacefully.”

He detailed a list of clauses in the bill that were unconstitutional and biased against the continued ownership of property through Waqf:

- Waqf by user: This amendment is going to help the encroacher become the owner of the property. Waqf by user amendment will allow encroachers across India to claim the title of the land. The biggest problem under this clause is being noted in Uttar Pradesh, where 91 per cent of the Waqf properties are under Waqf by user.

- Clause of Trust: If a property is in Waqf and the person decides to convert it into a trust, it can be done so under the present act. There is no clarity on who and under what condition can the trust clause be applied.

- Waqf by evacuee: Those who left their lands and homes and migrated to Pakistan have given their properties away in Waqf. These properties are in Haryana and Punjab. Under the new law, these properties can now be taken over. Owaisi alleged, “These will be sold to the real estate in these States. The Waqf boards of these two States are will lose all the property they have.”

- ASI and Waqf: The Archaeological Survey of India has encroached on 180 Waqf properties according to Sachar Committee report and the act will now facilitate them to take over the properties.

Non-Muslims in Waqf

The endowments board of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Jain and gurudwaras have members of their religious body only. “Then, why are Muslims being asked to have non-Muslims on Waqf boards?” asked Owaisi.

According to the new law, the central Waqf body needs to have 11 non-Muslims, and the state Waqf body will have seven non-Muslims.

‘Hypocrisy of Andhra CM’

Referring to the recent similar discussions about the TTD board in Andhra Pradesh, Owaisi said, “When AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu said that non-Hindus will not be allowed on TTD, how has he agreed to this clause in the Waqf Amendment Bill?”

Dawoodi Bohras

Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Union home minister Amit Shah has also used the Dawoodi Bohra community. The Section 2 clause in the act was to protect them. But there is no name of the community. Unke kandhe pe rakh ke goli chala liye (he has used them to target everyone).”

Poster campaign in Hyderabad to educate people on the changes

While the BJP minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju is going all out to assure Muslims that the act is good for them, there are members of the Muslim society and others who are calling out the false propaganda of the BJP.

Copies of a ‘Truth and Lies’ poster are being shared to educate people about the changes to the Waqf tribunal, properties and attempts at polarisation by the Central government.

Another poster campaign in Hyderabad highlights how this fight is for justice and not a clash of communities. This is being done to ensure that protests are peaceful. Various civil society organisations have planned meetings to put forward the finer aspects of Waqf and educate people about them.

Cases in Supreme Court

Multiple cases have been filed in the Supreme Court by organisations, Members of Parliament against the Waqf Amendment Act.