The government said on Wednesday that if she did not bring the Waqf Amendment Bill, many buildings including Parliament House would have gone to the Delhi Waqf Board and during the Congress rule, the Waqf properties would have been managed properly, not only Muslims, but also the fate of the country would have changed.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while keeping the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, discussed and passed, also said that through this the government and the Waqf Board will not interfere in any religious functioning of any religious institution including the Mosque.
He dismissed the claims of the opposition parties against the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying that in 1995 when a comprehensive law was enacted with several amendments, no one said that it is unconstitutional and illegal.
Rijiju said, “If we are improving it today, then it looks unconstitutional. Talk about arguments. The things which have nothing to do with the bill are being talked about and efforts are being made to mislead people. ”
He said that some people are saying that the government will take away the mosques, dargahs and assets of Muslims, which is a completely misleading thing.
Rijiju made it clear that this bill would not be applicable with foremord. He counted due to the need of this bill, saying that before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the then UPA government took some steps from which many assets would have gone to the Delhi Waqf Board.
Rijiju said that for the first time in 2013, there was a change in the Waqf Act that a person of any religion in this country can make a Waqf. He said that apart from these, such provisions were made that Shia will remain Shia in Waqf, Sunni will remain in Sunni Waqf and no one else can come from outside.
The Minister of Minority Affairs said, “In one section it was even written that the law of the Waqf Board will be above any existing law. How can such a law be approved in this country. ”He said that Delhi Waqf Board claimed many properties including this Parliament House, CGO Complex in Delhi.
He said that on March 5, 2014, the then UPA government transferred 123 main properties under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to the Delhi Waqf Board on 5 March 2014.
Reiju, while attacking the Congress, said, “A few days of waiting. You felt that you would get votes, but you lost in the election. Such work does not get votes. The people of the country are sensible. ”
Rijiju said, “If we did not come with these amendments today, this Parliament House was also being claimed. If the NDA government does not come under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then how many buildings would have gone to Waqf. ”
He said that India has the highest number of waqf wealth in the world and despite having such a lot of property, why did they not work for the upliftment of poor Muslims for so many years?
Rijiju said, “What is the objection if the work is being done in the interest of poor Muslims under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. If the Waqf properties were managed in the country properly, then the fate of both the Muslim community and the country would have changed.
He said that in 2006, 4.9 lakh Waqf assets were in the country and the total income from them was only Rs 163 crore, while even after making changes in 2013, the income increased by just three crore rupees. Rijiju said, “The country can never accept it. Waqf properties cannot be allowed to remain waste. It will have to be used for poor and common Muslims. ”He said that today the country has a total of 8.72 lakh Waqf property.
Rijiju said that an important provision has been made in this bill that Waqf can be made only by securing the rights of women and children, while the land of the tribals cannot be made a waqf property.
He said that the most oppressive stream of this law was a provision to declare any property as Waqf property, which some people used for their benefit, not for the poor. Rijiju said that there were some such discrepancies in the law for which this bill is being brought.
According to Rijiju, the bill has a provision for Mutavalli, its administration and monitoring on it. Rijiju said, “In any way the Waqf Board does not manage Waqf property and does not interfere in it.”
He said, “The government and the Waqf Board will never interfere in any religious functioning. The Bill does not have a provision for intervention in the management of a mosque. ”
He told the opposition members, “This is a matter of managing property in a normal way. Who are we asking about the things related to religious sentiments of Muslims etc. If you do not understand this basic difference, or do not want to understand it intentionally, then I have no cure for it.
Referring to the decisions of the Kerala High Court and Allahabad High Court, Reijiju said that the Waqf Board is a statutory unit and its responsibility is secular, not of religious type.
The minister said that the Supreme Court had said in a judgment that the management of the property of the temple is completely secular, not religious. He said, “Therefore, to say again and again how non-Muslims are coming in the favor of Muslims… It does not become an argument. Stop speaking this. ”
Counting some proposed provisions of the Waqf Amendment Bill, he said that Waqf can make the same one who has done the ‘practice’ of Islam for at least five years. He said that the Waqf Board is being made secular and inclusive in which Shia, Sunni and Bohra etc. will be representatives of all. He said that backward Muslims, women, non-Muslim experts will also be there.
He urged the opposition to support the bill, saying, “The country will remember for centuries who supported the bill and who did not.” For 70 years, you (the opposition) misled Muslims for vote bank and how long will you do so.
Rijiju said that after the implementation of this law, everyone’s hope of a new morning will awaken and the new law is also being named ‘hope’. He claimed that many Muslim organizations, Christian organizations across the country are supporting this bill.
Rijiju said that in this bill, the government is not taking any rights of the states, but all the rights are being given to the states.
He said that the biggest result of the change in the definition of Waqf is that Muslims want to operate their Waqf property from the provision of the board, then they are welcome, and if they want to operate separately through the trust, then they have a discount.
Targeting the Congress and other opposition parties, Rijiju said that he also tried to mislead the country on the Citizenship Amendment Act that the citizenship of Muslims would go away.
He said, “Is the right of Muslims take away after the CAA is implemented?” You spread untruth in the country. Will you apologize for this? If you mislead the public again, then you will eat the mouth. ”
Reiju, referring to the discussion in the Joint Committee of Parliament on the bill, said that the most widespread discussion and advice in India’s parliamentary history has been on this bill.
Earlier, KC Venugopal of Congress claimed less time to introduce non-government amendments on the bill, which dismissed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, said that he had given equal time for government and non-government amendments.
