Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the two key allies of BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu, are on board over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
The Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled in Parliament on February 13 amid uproar from the Opposition.
Rijiju said that a fake narrative was being spread on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
“I want to tell you very clearly that when we presented this Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, our intention was very clear, and we also told the Parliament that the sole objective of the bill is to safeguard the Waqf properties in India, which were the largest in the world,” the Union Minister said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
He said the Waqf properties were only being used by the rich Muslims, women, and children.
“If someone is begging despite the fact that Waqf had crores of rupees worth of properties, it is a matter of regret. That is why we have made it very clear in the Waqf Bill that there is no question of taking away the property from the Muslims and giving it to someone else,” Rijiju said.
He said the country is run by law and no one can take away someone else’s property.
He said the proposed bill will bring transparency. The Union Minister claimed that thousands of Muslims, including women, have met him and praised the bill.
“ Lot of propaganda is being spread about the bill. Even many opposition Muslim MPs who tell me that this is great work protest against the bill because of compulsions,” he said.
The minister, however, refused to name the opposition Muslim MPs who termed the bill a great work.
When asked if Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal (United) Janata Dal (Union), and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, head of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), support the bill, the minister said all are on board with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
Various opposition leaders have reached out to Naidu and Kumar seeking their intervention to oppose the Waqf Amendment.
