The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) president Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani said that he would stop the implementation of the proposed Waqf bill "at all costs" and that AIMPLB members wouldn't hesitate to give their lives for the cause. While speaking at an event in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Saifullah claimed the government's aim was to restrict the board's rights and that it had the highest number of Waqf properties under illegal occupation.
"It is a matter of life and death for us, and we should stop it (Waqf bill) at all costs. If needed, the Muslims of the country will fill the jails in such a way that the government will not have any place to house criminals," the AIMPLB chief said, adding, "If needed, we will not hesitate to give our own lives".
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Parliament by the central government on July 28. However, it was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) following strong objections from opposition parties.
The proposed Waqf bill aims to limit the authority of Waqf boards, which allowed them to designate any property or area as "waqf property". It also proposes the representation of non-Muslims and Muslim women in the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards.
Earlier this month, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had met a delegation of the AIMPLB, after which a statement released by the latter said that Soren will "never support the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the parliament, if presented".
The statement said that the delegation, led by the board's president Saifullah, met the Jharkhand CM on October 9 and explained him the reasons behind why AIMPLB opposed the proposed Waqf Bill. "The Waqf Act and paves way for usurping the Waqf properties. This act of the central government is against the Constitution, democratic values, federalism and also against the plural structure of the country," the board's statement noted.
Saifullah, while addressing the gathering in Kanpur, reiterated that the government's only aim was to snatch Waqf lands from Muslims. "If its (waqf boards) management is done by non-Muslims, will they sympathise with your mosques and graveyards? The result will be your land will be taken away from you... This is a very dangerous law," he said.
"In Tamil Nadu itself there are 4,78,000 acres of temple land. In Andhra Pradesh, there are 4,68,000 acres of temple land. Both these states have 10 lakh acres of temple land. If Muslims have six lakh acres of Waqf land in the whole country, then what is the problem?" the AIMPLB chief added.
He further alleged that the Centre was "pressurising" some members of the Waqf Board to lose the case in court and not submit any documents. "Think about it. If there is a dispute between the Waqf board and the government, will the collector give a decision against the government? The collector is from the government itself," he said.
In a separate incident which took place earlier this week on October 22, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee got into an argument with BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Waqf Bill. As the situation escalated, he smashed a glass water bottle on the table in rage, injuring his thumb and index finger. He was later suspended for one day by the Parliamentary committee on Waqf for his unruly behaviour during the panel meeting.