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Those who grabbed land opposing Waqf Bill: Rajbhar
The government’s intention is very clear, it wants to give the benefits of Waqf properties to poor Muslims as well, says minister
LUCKNOW State minority welfare minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who attended the meeting of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, said those who illegally occupied Waqf land were the ones opposing the Bill.
“Objections were taken from the stakeholders, and we will try to find solutions to the problems. The government’s intention is very clear. It wants to give the benefits of Waqf properties to poor Muslims as well,” he said. The meeting was attended by officials of the Shia Waqf Board, representatives of various Muslim organisations and the Uttar Pradesh government.
The JPC was constituted after the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 could not be passed in Parliament. In recent months, the panel has held meetings in various states and sought to know about the objections to the Bill by holding discussions with various parties related to Waqf.
This was the second visit of JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal to Lucknow. Earlier, he had met religious leaders/intellectuals of the Muslim community and held detailed discussion with Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali and Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas regarding the Bill.
The meeting started around 10am with MoS minority welfare, Haj and Waqf Danish Azad Ansari turning up first, followed by Shia Waqf Board chairman Ali Zaidi and JPC member and MP Brijlal.
“Till now, we have had meetings across the country - in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata. Today, we are holding a meeting in Lucknow. This is the last phase of field visit, after which the JPC chairman will submit a final report to the Parliament,” BJP RS MP Brijlal told media.
After the meeting, Shia Waqf Board chairman Ali Zaidi said: “The JPC met stakeholders and did some cross questioning from some of the representatives on the data of some of the properties. I am sure the government will also tell about the alternatives in case of deletion of the ‘Waqf by user’ clause in the proposed amendment.”
Islamic Centre of India chairman Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, in his submission to the JPC, highlighted that ‘Waqf by user’ clause was an integral part of the law and its removal violates the principles of Waqf. He said Muslim representation has substantially been decreased in the proposed amendment and the power of the Waqf tribunal diluted.
Representing Waqf Welfare Forum, UP, retired IAS Anis Ansari said: “We raised four major issues associated with the Waqf in Uttar Pradesh as well as in other states, before the JPC. These include large encroachment on Waqf properties, irregularities in the constitution and functioning of the mutawalli of the waqfs.”
Imran Masood on Cong-SP alliance
Congress MP Imran Masood, who was in Lucknow to attend the JPC meeting as a member, also spoke on the possibility of Congress’ alliance with the Samajwadi Party for 2027 UP assembly elections. He said, “We are very clear this time...the formula of 17-80 will not work. If we get respect, only then anything is possible in this regard, else we are preparing for the elections on our own.”
