As Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Parliament to make India’s Waqf Boards transparent, accountable and inclusive, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Cell chief Jamal Siddiqui was a happy man. Claiming that it was a result of BJP’s minority cell’s pitch where it communicated the frustration of millions of ordinary Muslim citizens with India’s current system, Siddiqui named and shamed alleged land grabs in the heart of Delhi in the garb of Waqf law.
“Imam Bukhari has captured land inside Jama Masjid. Habibullah’s family stays at the mosque inside Parliament, which was grabbed by his father. On Ashoka Road, All India Imam Sangathan has built a bungalow in the name of the mosque,” alleged the BJP’s Minority Cell head.
Siddiqui said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi isn’t afraid to make tough decisions. Had it been so, Article 370 would never have been abrogated, he said. He insisted that the ‘fate of Muslims’ will change with the passage of this bill, which has now been sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberation. He alleged that communities like Bohra and Ahmediyas have been kept out of the purview of the Waqf system in India, which is now being corrected making it inclusive. He blamed political parties like the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party for exploiting the current system while leaving the vast section of the Muslim society wanting justice. Siddiqui said the ‘mahaul’ on August 8, when the bill was moved in Parliament, was ‘Eid-like’ for the Indian Muslim community.
Here are edited excerpts from Jamal Siddiqui’s interview with CNN-News18:
Q: The government has made its intentions clear about changing the Waqf Act, of 1995. How big a deal is it?
Jamal Siddiqui: I want to congratulate the Prime Minister on behalf of all Muslims of India that he has thought of this reform. The prevalent Waqf system is a licence to loot that Congress, SP and BSP exploited. Today, Waqf boards have the second highest land after Indian Railways. But it wasn’t used for the betterment of Islam.
You will see the Jama Masjid’s Imam who issues fatwas regularly. His forefathers captured land there and they have their residence as well as office. His father and now Imam Bukhari continue the trend. If you shift your attention towards the mosque inside Parliament territory, Habibullah’s father captured the area there and now he has become an MP. They have their offices as well as residences there. Now he has a double licence after becoming an MP on an SP ticket. If you look at Ashoka Road, Illyasi Sahib has captured an area in the name of All India Imam Sangathan. These very people are against this amendment.
Q: During a discussion in the House, Kiren Rijiju stressed reforming the tribunals and expediting the justice system. If and when the bill gets passed, do you see Muslims getting benefitted?
Jamal Siddiqui: Of course. The tribunal’s composition was according to this handful’s wishes, they used to listen to it and they used to deliver verdicts according to their wishes. Where they couldn’t do it, they left it pending. I think, with the passage of this amendment bill, the Waqf tribunals will be able to deliver a fair deal and they can involve district administration. Right now, it’s a coterie.
Q: News18 has reported how the Modi government studied the Waqf laws of 10 Islamic countries before bringing this bill. It shows war-torn nations like Syria have better and more modern Waqf laws than India. Shouldn’t it have changed much earlier?
Jamal Siddiqui: There’s no doubt that these changes should have happened much earlier. Waqf is a person donating his or her land in the name of the almighty which is then used for the socially disadvantaged, widows, and poor among others. But here, Waqf properties aren’t used for their benefit. But these political parties used these posts as awards where the post holders indulged in corruption. They did not let anyone in. 99 per cent are captured by Congress, SP and BSP leaders.
This bill, once passed, will also stand the ‘sab ka sath, sab ka Vikas’ scrutiny. Bohras, who are big businessmen, also donate as do Ahmadiyas or Ismailis. But none have any say in the current Waqf system. But that is going to change with the proposed bill where even women are given their due share.
Q: Recently, we saw senior Muslim clerics including that of Ajmer throw their weight behind this proposed bill that is now being moved. What does it mean for the BJP and the Government?
Jamal Siddiqui: These are the people who should be at the core of Waqf lands. They (those who control waqf boards) didn’t let even clerics of dargahs intervene. These clerics have been the sevadars of dargahs for generations but they were shown the door while those who have nothing to do with dargahs were paradropped in Waqf property management roles. Muslim clerics of different and renowned dargahs have been angry about it and hence, they threw their weight behind this bill.
Q: Does BJP’s minority cell plan to advertise the supposed benefits of this bill to the Muslim population of the country?
Jamal Siddiqui: On the contrary, it has been the demand of the Muslim population of India. BJP’s minority cell took that demand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is why you see the PM take action on that. There will be ‘thank you’ letters written at a mass scale to the Prime Minister for his initiative. Today, it feels like Eid for the magnitude of the decision taken.
Q: Are you apprehensive of the opposition mounting a counter-campaign over this?
Jamal Siddiqui: Prime Minister Modi never indulges in vote bank politics. He is known for making bold decisions like abrogating Article 370. This is another bold decision. Jisko bura lagna hai, lage (Whoever wants to feel bad, can feel so).