The chairperson of the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board has said that the opposition is conspiring to incite people against the Waqf Act amendments.
Calling the amendments 'historic', Sanwar Patel said they would give representation to the weakest among the Muslims—women and children.
Patel, who is also a BJP spokesperson, said that the amendments which were being made after consultations with two crore Muslims were only being opposed by such political parties which were not well-wishers of Muslims but only wanted to use them as a vote bank. "Similarly it was the land mafia, which had made a lot of money under the Waqf board, which was opposing it, he alleged.
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The composition of the present Waqf boards had left out the most marginalised Muslims, among them Bohra, Khani and Pasmanda. These communities had demanded representation but had never been made a part of it. This anomaly would be removed by the amendments. In addition, women would also become part of the board now.
He said that after the proposed amendments, the Waqf board is expected to earn about 12,000 crores. This money would be used for the betterment of Muslims.
There are currently 15,008 Waqf properties in Madhya Pradesh. The lease rule, implemented in 2020 which requires government approval for certain uses, if used in the right spirit should yield an income of 100 crores per year, as per the chairman. However discrepancies in the law and illegal occupation by Congress leaders had stalled that income at only two cores. The amendments, Patel said, would increase the income which will then be used for the education, health and employment of the children of poor Muslims.
He targeted the Congress for not implementing the recommendations of the Sachar committee report which the party itself had set up. While the 2005 report which gave suggestions to remove the backwardness of Muslims, was submitted in 2006, the then government suppressed it for eight years, as it was never interested in the welfare of Muslims, he alleged.
With the new amendments, the Waqf Board and the tribunal would work according to the recommendations of the committee.
Patel said that the Congress was opposing its own committee’s report by voting against the amendments.
