New Delhi: On Saturday, a united and determined delegation comprising Muslim scholars and religious leaders met with Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and JPC Chairperson Jagdambika Pal to voice their support for the Bill’s proposals.
This comes a day after the second Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024.
The delegation, comprising Muslim intellectuals, scholars and religious leaders, was led by Syed Naseeruddin Chishti, the Chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanshin Council and successor to the spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah.
The discussions were on Muslim-centric issues and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
They first met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at the latter’s residence here and discussed the Waqf Bill presented recently in the Lok Sabha.
After meeting the Minority Affairs Minister, the delegation called on Jagdambika Pal at his residence.
Jagdambika Pal, a senior BJP leader, is the chairman of the JPC, which was constituted to discuss the proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill.
The JPC comprises 31 MPs — 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
During the deliberations with both Kiren Rijiju and Jagdambika Pal, the delegation led by Chisti submitted that the Waqf Board had been creating problems for Muslims across the country.
Reposing its ‘complete faith’ in the JPC, the delegation expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to address the problems mosques across the country have been facing due to the Waqf Board and welcomed the necessary suggestions.
Backing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, the delegation emphasised the need for better management, transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Waqf Board. They also expressed optimism that these changes would ensure an end to corrupt practices and land grabbing while making the Waqf Board beneficial for underprivileged Muslims.
The delegation also demanded the setting up a separate ‘Dargah Board’ to better manage matters related to mosques and urged the government to intervene in the Waqf Board’s “excesses.”
The delegation also submitted a proposal to establish Help Desks in Muslims places of worship to disseminate information on the government’s schemes for minorities.
On Friday, the JPC held its second meeting, which was attended by some Muslim bodies that opposed the amendments proposed in the Waqf Bill.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), a member of the JPC, was involved in a heated exchange of words with a BJP MP during the debate on the Bill and was among the MPs from the opposition camp to stage a walkout from the meeting at one point.
During the meeting, the All India Sunni Jamiat-e-Ulama opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, submitting that the government should not interfere in the subject of Waqf, which pertains to Muslims.
The Indian Muslim for Civil Rights, headed by former MP Mohammad Adeeb, described the Bill as “illegal”.
The first JPC meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill was held on August 22, followed by the second meeting on August 30.
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–IANS
(Photo: Screengrab from video posted on X by Kiren Rijiju)
