Hyderabad. Amid reports that the Central government is likely to introduce a bill to limit the powers of the Waqf Board, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday alleged that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government wants to take away the autonomy of the Waqf Board.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been against the Waqf Board and Waqf properties from the very beginning and has started efforts to eliminate the Waqf properties and the Waqf Board under its Hindutva agenda.
Owaisi told reporters here that there are reports in the media about the proposed amendments, which show that “the Narendra Modi-led government wants to take away the autonomy of the Waqf Board. It wants to interfere in the operation of Waqf property. This in itself is against religious freedom.” The Hyderabad MP said that if any amendment is made in the establishment and structure of the Waqf Board, it will create “administrative chaos” and the Waqf Board will lose its autonomy.
He said the proposed amendments indicate that the disputed property will be surveyed by government officials and the matter will not be decided in court. Owaisi alleged that if the survey is done by the BJP-led government, the result will be that the property will no longer be a Waqf property.
Owaisi said that there are many dargahs and mosques in the country, about which the BJP-RSS claims that they are not dargahs and mosques. He said, “Overall, if the media reports are true, then the Modi-led government wants to snatch the properties of the Waqf Board from the Muslims.” He warned that the allies of the BJP will have to think whether they want the Waqf properties of Muslims to be snatched. Owaisi said that when the Parliament session is going on, the government is giving information about this matter to the media and not to the Parliament, which is against the supremacy of the Parliament.