The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) staged a protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Monday. While the AIMPLB has demanded the withdrawal of this bill, the leaders of the central government have made it clear that the country will run according to the law. It is believed that the government can introduce the Waqf Bill in the Parliament in the second part of the current budget session. Vice President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Obaidullah Azmi, said, “The Indian Constitution gives the responsibility of protecting all our religious matters. Just as Namaz and Roza are necessary for us, similarly the protection of Waqf is also necessary for us. The government should have taken action against those who destroy Waqf land. But the government made a law to take over Waqf for the sake of it. We did not accept India on the basis of vassalage but on the basis of loyalty. India is not anyone’s father’s property. We have sacrificed forever. If this bill is not withdrawn now, then the Muslims of the whole country under the leadership of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board are ready to give every sacrifice that the country will ask from them. Voting means charity of votes; you will become PM, home minister with our charity, and you will trouble us. This will not be tolerated. At the same time, CPIML MP Raja Ram Singh from the stage of AIMPLB He said, “The government is taking away the rights of the people… taking away their language, taking away their attire.”A heavy police force has been deployed at Jantar Mantar in Delhi amid the ongoing protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi has also reached Jantar Mantar to participate in the protest.On the protest by AIMPLB against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawala said, “Waqf is just an excuse, inciting riots in the country, arson, running a vote bank shop; this is their only story. Be it organisations like AIMPLB or its political masters supporting it, Congress, TMC, or the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM. They are constantly trying to provoke Muslim citizens in the name of Waqf. I want to ask whether the Constitution has given rights like Waqf to the Jain community and the Christian community. Why should Waqf have unlimited power to usurp? Sometimes it occupies Parliament, sometimes Maha Kumbh, sometimes farmers’ land, and Congress, TMC, and the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM will not say anything on this.”On the protest by All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “The entire politics happening on this issue is unfortunate. Arvind Sawant ji of our party was part of the committee that discussed this. The party will continue to present its stand on this issue.” At AIMPLB’s protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 at Jantar Mantar, Waqf JPC chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said, “This is a political protest. The act has not even been introduced yet. We have only presented our 428-page report… The amendment bill has been brought. They shouldn’t say anything after the bill is passed… On what basis have AIMPLB, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, AIMIM or opposition leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar? … DMs are not being given powers… If there is any dispute over waqf property, then an officer above the DM, like a state secretary or commissioner, will look into it… The Act is being amended… They are misleading the country… No one is going to take away waqf land. If someone is selling waqf land, it is the people of the waqf itself… The amendment will stop the sale of waqf land and benefit the poor…””Our party is supporting this bill. We oppose it. The law has given us equal rights. This bill is completely unconstitutional. The government is trying to take away all our rights. I believe that it needs reform. But through this bill, there is an attempt to take over our places of worship. We will not let this happen.””There have been many problems in this country for the last several years. Triple Talaq and attacks on mosques: this bill has been brought in this connection. Our fight is with the government. But it is being presented as if our fight is with some other religion. We will not accept this bill at any cost. If we are peaceful, it does not mean that we are scared.”Talking on this topic, Tanvi Bhatia, a renowned lawyer, said, “From a political point of view, this issue can affect the Muslim vote bank, as organisations like AIMPLB and other representatives of the Muslim community are presenting it as directly linked to their religious identity and rights. This protest is not only against a bill, but concerns are also being raised about the communal and political aspects associated with it. At the same time, this can be an opportunity for the government to ensure the proper use of Waqf properties through its administrative reforms.Thus, this issue is not limited only to the rights and properties of Waqf, but the political and communal debate related to it has also become a part of a larger discussion. If this bill is passed, it can have far-reaching consequences, especially on the spirit of trust and cooperation between different sections of the society.
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