Amit Shah, during the debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha this evening, highlighted a list of properties that had been designated for Waqf. The list included land belonging to temples, other religious institutions, the government, and private institutions, the government.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a deep dive into India’s history to dig out notorious deals and land claims of the Waqf Board across the country while ripping into the Opposition for going against the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 that has been tabled in the Lok Sabha by the BJP-led Centre intending to reform the Muslim body.
Speaking during the debate on the bill ahead of voting, Shah said the bill would not bring any non-Muslim into the management of waqf boards and neither the government intends to do that.
Shah also listed out several cases and instances from history, wherein he claimed the Waqf board mischievously claimed land owned by non-Muslims and temples using trivial provisions of the existing Waqf laws.
This underscored the government’s stance that vast tracts of land and properties have been taken over by Waqf, with some narrowly escaping at the last moment. The government argued that Waqf has increasingly been used as a pretext for land-grabbing.
Here are the instances of land grabbing which Amit Shah referred to:
A prime land parcel worth Rs 500 crore, owned by the Waqf Board, was rented out to a five-star hotel for a meagre Rs 12,000 rent per month, raising concerns over mismanagement and favouritism.
Karnataka’s Manipaddi Committee reported that around 29,000 acres of Waqf land were leased to foreign entities, often at questionable rates, leading to significant revenue loss.
Between 2001 and 2012, Waqf properties worth Rs 2 lakh crore were leased to private institutions for a period of 100 years, raising concerns over long-term control and rightful use of these assets.
The Karnataka High Court had to step in to halt the encroachment of 602 acres of Waqf land, highlighting legal battles and land disputes involving religious trusts.
In Honwad village of Vijayapura in Karnataka, 1,500 acres of land came under dispute after the Waqf Board laid claim to it, leading to legal and administrative conflicts over rightful ownership.
The Karnataka Waqf Board laid claim over land belonging to the revered Dattapeeth temple, throwing it into legal dispute.
Thaliparamba land dispute: A claim dating back 7,500 years was cited to justify the takeover of 600 acres of land in Thaliparamba town in Kerala.
The Waqf Board staked a claim to land belonging to the Mahadev Mandir in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, leading to disputes between Hindu temple authorities and Waqf officials.
Shah also lambasted the Opposition, saying they would lose support from Christian communities by opposing this bill.
“The opposition thinks that by opposing the waqf they will win Muslims’ sympathy to strengthen their vote bank but what they don’t understand is that in 4 years, Muslims will realise this law in for their betterment.
and the Opposition MPs from the South are all upset churches in their areas by going against this bill,” he added.
