Union minister for minority affairs Kiren Rijiju criticised fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on Saturday for spreading false propaganda about the Centre's Waqf amendment bill.
Zakir Naik, who is wanted in India for alleged money laundering and hate speech, in a video message, claimed that if the Waqf amendment bill was passed by Parliament, thousands of mosques, madrasas, graveyards and lakhs of acres of land would be taken away from Muslims.
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He also termed the Narendra Modi-led NDA coalition government as 'anti-Islamic' and ‘anti-Muslim’ and claimed that it was trying to usurp the land of Muslims.
In response, Kiren Rijiju termed Zakir Naik as “anti-India character” and slammed him for spewing venom by spreading false and fake propaganda.
“This anti-India character is spewing venoms by spreading false and fake propaganda & also trying to create communal disturbances in India,” Kiren Rijiju wrote in a post on X. “We need to unitedly fight against such people.”
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Kiren Rijiju vs Zakir Naik
{{/usCountry}} “This anti-India character is spewing venoms by spreading false and fake propaganda & also trying to create communal disturbances in India,” Kiren Rijiju wrote in a post on X. “We need to unitedly fight against such people.”
Also Read | Nitish Kumar's JDU joins key BJP allies in questioning Waqf Bill: Report
Kiren Rijiju vs Zakir Naik
{{/usCountry}} Earlier this week, in a separate post, Naik had he warned of the "evil repercussions" of the Waqf bill and urged his followers to submit objections to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
“Please do not mislead the innocent Muslims from outside our country. India is a democratic country and people have the right to their own opinion. False propaganda will lead to wrong narratives,” Rijiju had replied to him earlier.
The Waqf amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee after a heated debate. While the government stated that the bill does not intend to interfere with mosques, the opposition has criticised it as targeting Muslims and attacking the Constitution.
The JPC has invited views and suggestions from the public, NGOs, experts, stakeholders, and institutions.