AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Waqf (Amendment) Act on April 13, Sunday.
Speaking to the media, he called the Act unconstitutional, alleging that the ‘black law’ was made by the BJP with the support of NDA’s supporting parties.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Owaisi also announced that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will hold a public meeting at AIMIM headquarters, Darussalam, on April 19 against the Waqf Amendment Act.
"We are appealing to the Prime Minister to please reconsider this Act. You are making a law that is against the Constitution of India, and you are imposing your ideology on the country. Your ideology should be Indian nationalism and the Constitution,” he said.
“How can something that is good for Hindu and Sikh communities be considered bad for Muslims?” asked Owaisi while citing certain “discriminatory” provisions of the Act.
The MP said that the Waqf Amendment Act shows that the BJP treats Muslims with suspicion. “In the endowment boards of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, only those who follow those faiths can become members. The Limitation Act does not apply to endowment boards of these religions; by usage, they can become owners of properties, and people practising other religions can also donate their property to endowment boards of these religions. The Modi government, through this amendment bill, has snatched all these rights from the Muslim religious board,” he said.
The AIMIM president said that the Waqf Act is a gross violation of Articles 14, 15, 25, 26, and 29 of the Constitution of India.
He said the Act was not brought to save Waqf properties, remove encroachments, or increase the revenue of Waqf properties.
On the violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad during anti-Waqf Act protests, Owaisi said protests should be peaceful. “We have always condemned violence and will keep doing that. Protests should be peaceful. Violence of any kind is condemnable," he said.
Owaisi announced that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will be holding a public meeting at AIMIM headquarters, Darussalam, on April 19 against the Waqf Amendment Act. The Hyderabad MP said that through this public meeting, they would explain to people how this Act is not in the interest of Waqf.
AIMPLB members from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with other Muslim organisations, will participate in the meeting.
The organisers are also inviting the MPs who were members of the Parliament committee on Waqf. “We are also trying to talk to the members of the Waqf Committee, and if their schedule permits, they will also be part of this protest,” he said
All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani will preside over the meeting, which will be addressed by leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hindu, and other organisations.