Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 2 : As the Parliament gears up for a debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill, the members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha in Mumbai's Borivali were seen distributing sweets and celebrating the tabling of the bill, which aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995.
Wasim R Khan, President of Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that this bill would help poor Muslims.
"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing this bill as it will help poor Muslims. Those who considered Waqf properties as their 'baap ki jaagir' would get under control. This bill should have been brought much before," Khan told ANI.
Speaking on the opposition to the bill, Khan said that Waqf properties were supposed to benefit the poor but only benefited the rich. Dismissing the objections raised by the opposition, Khan alleged that they want Muslims to remain poor.
"It is their job to oppose. They have opposed every bill brought in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They want Muslims to remain poor, and only a few should be rich. Waqf properties are supposed to be for the poor Muslims, but the common Muslim did not benefit," Khan said.
Meanwhile, the women from the Muslim community in Delhi and Bhopal came out in support of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was the Chairman of the JPC on the Waqf Amendment bill on Wednesday, said that the Bill, which is going to be tabled in the Parliament for passing, would benefit poor and Pasmanda (backward) Muslims. Labelling it as a "historic day", Pal said that the hard work of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which took stakeholders in several states in confidence, has paid off. He added that JPC meetings were held and opposition was heard for eight hours every day.
BJP leader Mohsin Raza on Wednesday expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Waqf Amendment Bill is set to be moved in the Parliament, saying that passing of the amendments to Waqf Act would be the biggest "Eidi" for marginalised Muslims.
"On behalf of all the downtrodden and backward Muslim brothers and sisters of the country, I thank Prime Minister Modi for this Waqf Amendment Bill. This will be the biggest 'Eidi' from PM Modi for backward Muslims," Raza told ANI.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala stood firm in opposition, saying that they would oppose the bill if it tried to "de-establish" a particular community. He said the government has agreed to hold an eight-hour debate in Lok Sabha today amid the ongoing budget session.
The issues, he added, raised by the opposition members must be considered and not "bulldozed" as it happened in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for the Waqf Amendment Bill.
The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties.
The Amendment Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous Act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.