A day after the second meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, a delegation comprising Muslim scholars and religious leaders met Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and JPC Chairperson Jagdambika Pal on Saturday to declare support for the proposals contained in the Bill.
The delegation consisted of Muslim thinkers, intellectuals, and religious heads led by Syed Naseeruddin Chishti, Chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanshin Council and successor to the spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah.
These discussions involved Muslims-related issues and the Waqf Amendment Bill. The delegation, led by the AIMIM president, called on Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at his residence and discussed the Waqf Bill that was recently presented in the Lok Sabha.
After the meeting with the Minority Affairs Minister, the delegation called on Jagdambika Pal at his residence. Senior BJP leader Jagdambika Pal is chairman of the JPC constituted to review the proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill. The JPC comprises 31 MPs, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
During interactions with both Kiren Rijiju and Jagdambika Pal, the Chishti-led delegation made it express explicitly that the Waqf Board had been creating problems for Muslims across the country. The delegation reposed its "complete faith" in the JPC and confidently believed the committee would listen to the issues mosques across the nation faced due to the Waqf Board and welcome the necessary suggestions.
The delegation explained that Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 will enable better management, complete transparency, and accountability in the working of the Waqf Board so that the alleged corrupt practices and land grabbing can be prevented to allow more benefits for the poor Muslims.
The delegation also demanded a separate 'Dargah Board' for better management of mosque-related affairs and urged the government to take action against the "excesses" of the Waqf Board. They also suggested Help Desks be set up at the places of worship for Muslims to spread word on the government's minority welfare schemes.
The JPC held its second round of meetings on Friday, attended by some Muslim organisations which have opposed the proposed amendments in the Waqf Bill.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), a member of JPC had a heated exchange with a BJP MP during the debate on the Bill, and was among Opposition MPs who staged a walkout from the meeting at one point.
All India Sunni Jamiat-e-Ulama, during the meeting, opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying that the government has no right to interfere in the Waqf, which comes under the Muslims. Indian Muslim for Civil Rights, under the chairmanship of former MP Mohammad Adeeb termed the Bill "illegal".
The first meeting of the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill was held on August 22.
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