Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 26 : Even as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced a nationwide agitation against the proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ramchander Rao accused organisations like AIMPLB and AIMIM of giving a "false narrative" of the bill to the Muslim community, alleging that the organisations are scared that Muslims might start voting for the BJP.
"All India Muslim Personal Law Board, AIMIM, Muslim League, all these leaders are now worried that poor Muslims may shift towards BJP, and hence they are giving a false narrative and provoking innocent and poor Muslims," Rao said while talking to ANI.
Rao reiterated that the union government has already clarified that the proposed amendment are just a way to ensure that women, and poor people have representation in the Waqf Board.
"Government of India has made it very clear and even the committee chairman that they are not renewing the Waqf Board itself but they are only amending certain clauses and issues, which will enable the poor Muslims to have representation in the Waqf Board and women and other genders in Muslim community," he added.
Earlier on March 25, BJP MP and chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (amendment) bill Jagdambika Pal also alleged that AIMPLB wants to create a confusion among the minorities of the country. However, the organisation has alleged that the Union Government wants to destroy the rights of the Muslim minorities with the Waqf Bill.
Jagdambika Pal further stated that the government wants to amend the bill so that it can be made better and the poor sections of the minorities can benefit from it.
"The government wants to amend it so that this law can be made better. The government is trying to amend the Waqf law so that the minorities, especially the poor, can benefit from it..but the bill has not even come yet, and they (the opposition) have already protested at Jantar Mantar, and now they are going to Patna on the 26th and Vijayawada on the 29th, so somewhere in the country they are trying to divide people by creating confusion among minorities and Muslims," Jagdambika Pal said.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas has slammed the Central government over Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the bill "has been brought in with a communal intention."
Speaking to ANI, SQR Ilyas said that the AIMPLB is not doing any politics, "We have only said that the Waqf Bill, which has been brought in, is just with a communal intention...That bill only captures the Waqf property...They are trying to mislead the people."