Will not interfere with Muslims’ religious matters: Govt on Waqf

Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday led the government’s defence of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the modifications in the law have been brought to ensure transparent administration of Waqf properties, adding that the Centre had no intention of interfering in the religious matters of the Muslim community.

Making an intervention during a day-long debate on the bill, which was tabled by minorities affairs minister Kiren Rijiju in the Lower House, Shah said no “non-Muslim” members in waqf boards or council will interfere in the religious activities and that their role will be confined to the administration. Alleging that vote bank was being created by intimidating minorities, Shah said the amendments were necessitated after the Congress-led UPA government altered the Waqf Act in 2013 for its “appeasement” politics, making the law “extreme”.

“Elections were due in 2014 and in 2013, the extreme Waqf law was made overnight for the purpose of appeasement. As a result, 123 properties in Delhi’s Lutyens zone were handed over to the Waqf just 25 days before the elections,” he said, citing several instances from across the country about vast properties being claimed by different state Waqf boards.

“The Narendra Modi government runs on a very clear principle that we will not bring any law for vote bank because law is for justice and welfare of people,” he said. “Everyone has the right to follow their religion, but conversion cannot be done for greed, temptation and fear.”

Shah said vote bank is being created by intimidating minorities and confusion is being spread in the country by creating an atmosphere of fear among the minorities.

Noting that there was no provision earlier to include any non-Muslim person among those who run religious institutions, the home minister said the NDA government is not going to change that.

“The government does not want to interfere in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and the trusts associated with their donations will all be Muslims… but it will definitely have to be seen whether the property of Waqf is being maintained properly or not,” he said. “To those who give big speeches that the right to equality has ended or there will be discrimination between two religions or the religious rights of Muslims will be interfered with, I want to tell them that nothing like this is going to happen.”

Shah said that a section of people involved in the management of Waqf properties was making personal gains while doing little for the community, adding the new law will catch such people and throw them out. “This money is of the poor Muslims,” he said, citing the meagre income of ₹163 crore from Waqf properties.

Shah emphasised that the current bill aims at establishing a “transparent audit system” for Waqf properties. He pointed out that opposition had proposed an amendment wherein the Waqf Board orders could not be challenged in court, but the current bill allows legal challenges.

In his opening remarks after tabling the bill, which was examined and redrafted by a joint committee of Parliament, Rijiju dismissed the Opposition’s allegation that the proposed law was an interference in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom in religious affairs, saying the bill has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties.

“The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required,” Rijiju said. “You (opposition) tried to mislead the people on issues which are not part of the Waqf Bill.”

Taking part in the debate, former Union minister and BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad took a dig at the Opposition’s “lack of clarity”, saying he had difficulty in understanding the opposition’s conflicting arguments on whether the Waqf Bill should be amended. He also opposed the allegation that the bill was unconstitutional.

“If this Waqf Bill is aimed at empowering women and backward Muslims, how can it be unconstitutional?” Prasad said.

BJP lawmaker Anurag Thakur said: “This bill is not about Hindu versus Muslim, this is law versus lawlessness, Constitution versus corruption.”

(With inputs from agencies)