Waqf Boards seen by Muslims as mafia, corruption hub: RSS leader Indresh Kumar

The Bill was tabled by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session amid fierce criticism from the Opposition parties which termed it “divisive” and an “attack on the Constitution”. Several leading Muslim organisations have strongly opposed the Bill, calling it an alleged bid by the government to take over the Muslim Waqf assets across the country.

The Bill, which was sent to a Joint Committee of Parliament for scrutiny, has even caused concerns among the BJP’s allies like the TDP and the JD(U), who have favoured a detailed discussion among all stakeholders over it.

The amendment legislation proposes several changes. These include allowing the state governments to appoint a non-Muslim chief executive officer and at least two non-Muslim members to the state Waqf Boards. It proposes to give the District Collector the authority to determine whether a property is a Waqf asset or a government property.

The Parliament committee’s meetings on the contentious Bill have also been stormy, with the Opposition members staging a walkout on at least two occasions accusing the BJP members of allegedly using derogatory language against them. On Wednesday, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended from the panel for a day following a heated exchange between him and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

The Muslim Rashtriya Manch has supported the Bill before the Parliament committee.

Elaborating on the Sangh’s backing for the Waqf legislation, Kumar said, “In this country, any dispute pertaining to land is decided by the courts, but when it comes to disputes involving Waqf properties, the (Waqf) Board is the sole arbiter. If the Board decides against your case, that is the final word, and many properties have been inappropriately occupied as a result. So, there is an increasing opinion within the Muslim community that Waqf Board is operating more like a mafia and becoming a hub of corruption.”

On the concerns over the proposal to have non-Muslim members on Waqf Boards, the RSS leader claimed, “It’s not just Muslims who donate, but even members of other religions donate to these Boards, then why should there not be representation of other religions on them?”

Kumar said the Bill has three main objectives: introducing accountability and transparency in the functioning of Waqf Boards, ensuring that they operate for the welfare of the community, and promoting social harmony through the appointment of non-Muslim members.

“There should be more awareness about these objectives, and people should be encouraged to provide their feedback to the Parliamentary committee on this. Anyone attempting to spin a false narrative that the government is trying to use this Bill as a backdoor entry into the workings of the Board should be strongly countered,” he said.

“There are people who try to instigate everyone (against the Bill)… Their lies should be exposed and people should be told that their objective is to enslave you to vote bank politics,” Kumar said.

In bid to spread more awareness about the Bill and build support for it, the RSS leader said the Muslim Rashtriya Manch was organising seminars and workshops across the country.