New Delhi, Feb 4 The debate over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill heated up on Tuesday as Jagdambika Pal, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), fired back at AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi over his remarks. The AIMIM chief had criticised the bill, warning that it could lead to social instability.
Brushing aside baseless objections, the JPC chief claimed that the Opposition was spreading confusion and engaging in "politics of appeasement."
Pal, speaking to IANS, asserted, "When the government enacts a law, it’s within the boundaries of the Constitution. Owaisi and his supporters are fueling unnecessary fear. The bill aims to ensure proper maintenance of mosques and that the underprivileged, including Muslims, widows, and children, benefit from Waqf properties, not that they will be taken away."
"His statements are not based on facts but on an agenda to stir tension. Why is he creating fear and spreading confusion?"
Pal emphasised that the Imams and muezzins were mismanaging the properties, often selling them, and that the intention was to protect and utilise these assets for the community’s welfare," he further stated.
Owaisi speaking in Parliament on Monday, issued a warning of sorts to the government and urged it to reconsider the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in its current form.
He warned that its passage would spark social instability across the country, claiming the bill had been outright rejected by the entire Muslim community.
In his address to the Lok Sabha, Owaisi stated, "If this government proceeds with this version of the Waqf law, it will violate Articles 25, 26, and 14 of the Constitution, and it will lead to chaos. The Muslim community will not stand for it—there won’t be a single Waqf property left, nothing."
He added, "You talk about a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India), we also want a 'Viksit Bharat'. But if you intend to drag this nation back to the days of the '80s and '90s, that will be on your conscience."
"As a proud Indian Muslim, I will not let even an inch of my mosque or Dargah be taken away. I won’t tolerate it. We are no longer here to give diplomatic speeches—we’re here to stand up and speak the truth. This is our property, our right, not granted by anyone else. Waqf is a sacred form of worship to us, and no one can take it away," he further remarked.
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