Modi govt wants to seize waqf lands, hand them over to friends, alleges Sanjay Singh as first JPC meet gets underway

Aam Aadmi Party Member of Parliament (MP), Sanjay Singh alleged on Thursday that the Prime Minister Modi government intended to seize the lands of Waqf and hand them over to his friends. Singh also claimed that after Waqf, lands belonging to Gurudwaras, churches, and temples will also be taken and handed over to the friends of the Centre.

"Article 26 of the Constitution provides for the freedom of religious management. The Constitution drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar, which is implemented in India, states that there should be no government interference in the management of religious institutions, whether it is a temple, Mosque, Gurdwara, or Church," Singh said as the first meeting of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill met for first time on Thursday.

Officials from the minority affairs and law ministries are briefing them about the various amendments proposed in the draft law.

The 31-member committee, headed by Bhartiya Janata Party MP Jagdambika Pal, has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the contentious bill, which has drawn protests from the opposition parties and Muslim organisations.

"The efforts being made by the Modi government are solely driven by the intention to seize lands and hand them over to Adani. They have introduced a bill to give land to their friends. Once the Waqf Board's lands are seized, the lands belonging to Gurdwaras across the country will be taken, followed by churches and temples," Singh added.

The AAP MP also claimed that the government has already given railway land to their friends and handed over 13,000 acres of Indian Army land in Ayodhya.

"They want to seize the lands of Dalits and Adivasis. This bill is unconstitutional. We will certainly oppose it. There is no reason for government interference where it is not necessary, so why are they doing it? They want to snatch away the rights given in the Constitution of India," Sanjay Singh said.

Pal, the chairperson of the JPC said on Thursday that they will give maximum opportunities to the maximum number of people from minority organizations while discussing the bill.

Pal said that the government has a specific purpose for bringing this bill that the the properties handed to the Waqf should help the backward Muslims and women.

The parliamentary committee examining the bill has 21 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.

The government introduced the bill in the budget session of Parliament which concluded earlier this month and it was decided to send the legislation to JPC for further scrutiny. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Waqf Act provides for the renaming of the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.

The bill seeks to omit section 40 relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is Waqf property, provide for filing of accounts of waqf by mutawallis to the Board through a central portal for better control over their activities, reform the Tribunal structure with two members and provide for appeals against the orders of the Tribunal to the High Court within a specified period of ninety days.

(With ANI, PTI inputs)