Hindu, Muslim groups ask people to send views on Waqf bill to parliamentary committee

Srinagar, Sep12:  As the last date for submission of suggestions from the public to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to examine the Waqf (Amendment) Bill nears to end, reports that Muslim and Hindu organisations have boosted their campaigns of making people send their feedbacks to the government.

Organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board are using methods including, Google forms, messaging platforms, urging people to submit their suggestions, The Hindu reported.

While Muslims are using Friday prayers as a platform to aware people, Hindu groups are spreading their message through Ganesh puja.

Speaking to The Hindu, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, a member of the AIMPLB, said that a QR code has been uploaded on the website of the organisation which can be scanned by people to get a pre-drafted message on objections to the Waqf Bill.

“We have made a call to people to use our QR code to send suggestions to the JPC through Friday prayers on September 6 and six lakh people used it within two hours,” said Mr. Mahali.

Mahali said that 82,70,231 mails were sent to the JPC until September 11, 2024, and that they hope the numbers will go up and touch the crore mark by Sep 13, the last day of the submissions on the Bill.

The message of the AIMPLB says that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill should be rejected completely.

It says the proposed provisions indicate that the Bill is designed to remove Waqf properties from their status as Waqf and to diminish the control of mutawallis (caretakers).

It adds that the Bill compromises the piousness of Waqf properties and that it lacks consultation. It also says that the Bill violates the freedom of religion granted by the Constitution.

The letter also suggested that if the issue of mismanagement and wrongful use of Waqf properties is a concern, then it can be effectively addressed by tackling the corruption and imposing exemplary punishment on those who misuse their powers.

A similar appeal to reject the Bill was also made by Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, a religious leader who is abroad. He has used social media platform X to ask Indian citizens to send mails to the JPC through a pre-drafted letter by scanning a QR code available on the pamphlets circulated through his social media accounts.

Reacting to the call of Mr. Naik, Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju also took to X and said that people should not mislead innocent Muslims. “India is a democratic country and people have the right to their own opinion. False propaganda will lead to wrong narratives,” Mr. Rijiju added.

Meanwhile, a pre-drafted letter by Hindu groups is also being shared on Whatsapp and social media asking Hindus to send their suggestions to the JPC in favour of the Waqf Bill.

The letter has a reference to Tiruchendurai village in Tamil Nadu, which has a 1,500-year-old Hindu temple that was claimed as Waqf property. It points out how a survey of Waqf properties was done using taxpayers money but no civil courts in the country could pass an order on Waqf disputes.

“The letter also criticises former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress for their role in giving arbitrary powers to Waqf,” said Jitendra Mallik, resident of Meerabagh. He said he had received a message from a residents’ welfare association to share his suggestions with the JPC.

The Central government had tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on July 28. The bill proposes the inclusion of non-Muslims and Muslim women in Waqf Boards and strips the Boards of powers to declare a property as Waqf.