Amid the ongoing protests over the Waqf Amendment Act, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju brushed aside the allegations that the Bill is against Muslims and added that the Narendra Modi government is committed to correcting past mistakes. Rijiju said that the earlier Waqf law gave unprecedented power to the body due to which many rightful owners lost their lands.
Speaking at a press conference in Kochi, Kerala, Rijiju said that the land is the most precious thing for Indians. “If you lose your land, you lose everything. That is why we have considered that in India, there should not be any provision for anybody to forcefully and unilaterally take away someone’s land,” said the Union Minister.
Rijiju further said that the government is committed to protecting every inch of land for their rightful owner. “We brought amendments to this law as earlier, there were unprecedented powers given to Waqf. This is not targeted towards Muslims. There is a narrative that the Central govt is against Muslims. But it’s not true. We are here to correct the mistakes committed in the past and provide justice to people,” said the Union Minister.
Rijiju further said that India has the largest Waqf properties in the world. “The Munambam case came before us some time ago. I was deeply upset when I learn about this case. The 600 fishermen living there started paying taxes for the plan, and suddenly Kerala Waqf Board declared the 404 acres of variable land in Munambm as Waqf property. This is how the tragedy came before us and people learnt about the injustice done to people. Looking at such pains of the people, the Modi govt decided to bring amendments to the Waqf Act. Now, there will not be an arbitrary declaration of any land as Waqf land,” he said.
Rijiju, who was flanked by Union Minister of State George Kurien and state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said that following the amendment, ‘there will be no arbitrary declaration of a land as Waqf property’. His statement comes amid protests by various Muslim groups against the amendment, which have turned violent in some parts of West Bengal.
The Waqf Bill, passed by the Parliament, received the assent of the President on April 5. The ruling NDA has strongly defended the legislation as beneficial for minorities, while the opposition has described it as “anti-Muslim”.
