Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday (April 6) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting lands belonging to Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and even Hindu temples after the introduction of the Waqf law. Speaking at the launch of Shiv Sanchar Sena, the party's IT and communications wing, Thackeray alleged that the BJP’s next move would involve transferring prime lands to its "friends" with no genuine affection for any community.Criticizing his former ally on the BJP’s 45th Foundation Day, Thackeray advised them to follow Lord Ram’s example in their conduct. He stated, “They will give prime land to their friends. They have no love for any community.”
Supporting Thackeray's remarks, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that in the future, all Waqf land would be allocated to the BJP’s industrialist allies. Raut also criticized the BJP for discussing poverty, pointing out that the money spent by the party before last year’s assembly elections was comparable to Maharashtra’s budget. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad echoed similar concerns. He claimed that after targeting the Muslim community, the BJP is now eyeing Christian land. Referring to an article in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser, Awhad noted that it stated the Catholic Church of India is the largest non-governmental landowner in the country, owning around 17.29 crore acres (7 crore hectares) of land. The article, titled "Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board Debate," was published on April 3. It argued that while the Waqf Board is often believed to be the second-largest landowner after the government, the Catholic Church surpasses it in landholdings. Awhad highlighted that the article also questioned the means through which some of this land was acquired.