The centre is all set to make amendments to the Waqf Act to restrict the power of the Waqf boards in the ongoing Parliament session next week.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP government is likely to introduce a bill in the Parliament that will make around 40 amendments to the Waqf Act. The amendments aim to restrict the Waqf Board's authority to designate any property as "Waqf property".
The Union Cabinet has approved a total of 40 amendments to the act on Friday. Waqf Boards oversee around 870,000 properties spanning around 940,000 acres worth lakhs of crores of rupees.
The move has drawn reactions from several Muslim organisations including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the All India Imam Organization.
Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organization said that amendments have been made in the Waqf Act earlier too and there should be no politics over the issue.
"The amendment is a part of the process that keeps on happening from time to time... Amendments have been made in the Waqf Act earlier also... It should be taken care of that the dignity of Waqf should not be harmed...It is the need of the hour to do amendment and there should be no politics over it... There should be a discussion on it," he said.
"When amendments were made during the previous governments then what did Asaduddin Owaisi or other opposition leaders say? The opposition should not protest against everything. There should be a discussion on it rather than politics," he added.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the BJP has been against the Waqf Board and Waqf properties since the beginning and they have continued to put efforts to end the Waqf Board.
"BJP has been against the Waqf Board and Waqf properties since the beginning and there is a 'Hindutva agenda' of RSS. They have continued to put efforts to end the Waqf Board and properties from the start," Owaisi said.
BJP leader Mohsin Raza said he would welcome the bill and said that the Waqf Board go beyond their powers and harass people.
"If this bill is brought, we will welcome it. There are lakhs of Waqf properties across the country and people are not getting justice. They (Waqf Board) go beyond their powers and harass people. There are many such properties, many such issues which should come directly to the government... Waqf was created for the upliftment of backward Muslims and it has not been used properly, it has just been misused," Raza said.
"It is obvious that there is a need to take out the Waqf properties which have come under the control of a few people and the properties which have been registered in the boards illegally should also be taken out...This is a matter of public interest and it should be brought," he said.
Meanwhile, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali of the AIMPLB said he believed there is no need to make any amendments to the Waqf Act and if the government feels that there is any need, then the government should consult and take the opinion of the stakeholders before making any amendment.
"As far as the Waqf law is concerned, it is important that the property should be used only for charitable purposes for which the Waqf has been done. And it is a law that once a property is made a Waqf it cannot be sold or transferred. As far as the management of properties is concerned, we already have the Waqf Act 1995 and then some amendments were made in 2013 and currently, we do not feel that there is any need to make any kind of amendment to this Waqf Act," Khalid Rasheed said.
"If the government feels that there is any need, then the government should consult and take the opinion of the stakeholders before making any amendment. Everyone should keep in mind that about 60% to 70% of the waqf properties are in the form of mosques, dargahs and graveyards," he added.