'Entire Surat Municipal Corporation HQ is declared Waqf property, how can this happen?': Rijiju blasts Opposition

 Entire Surat Municipal Corporation HQ is declared Waqf property, how can this happen?': Rijiju blasts Opposition   

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill-2024, expressed shock at the ways some government and private properties were declared Waqf properties.

Rijiju questioned unfettered powers granted to the Waqf Boards through amendments brought in by the Congress-led UPA in 2013. The minister said that some mistakes needed to be fixed to ensure justice.

During his an-hour-long address in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju highlighted some interesting cases where the Waqf seemingly overstepped its mandate and claimed rights on government properties. He informed that the entire headquarters of the Surat Municipal Corporation had been declared Waqf property. "How can this happen? Is a municipal corporation someone's private property? How can the land of municipal property be declared as Waqf property?" he asked the Opposition, which has opposed the Bill. 

The Union Minister also spoke about a village in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli, which has a 1500-year-old history but has been declared a waqf property. "In Tiruchirappalli district, there is a 1500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple. A poor villager there went to sell his 1.2 acres of land. He was told that his entire village is Waqf property," the minister said. "Just imagine, the entire village, with a history of 1500 years, has been declared Waqf property." 

Rijiju asked the opposition leaders to shun their ideological stand and see it objectively. "Whether it's Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh, don't view this issue through the lens of religion. Hearing about such incidents should concern you," he said. 

Citing another case from Lucknow, the minister said that a woman, Bushra Fatima, along with her child, is living in very difficult conditions. He said that under the current act, she would lose entire property after her father's death and it would go to Waqf. "If we don't amend the current Waqf Board system, after her father's death, this entire property will not go to her and her child. Shouldn’t we intervene in such situations? Shouldn't we take steps to ensure justice for them? So, please don't view this issue through the lens of religion".

(Source: Business Today)