Muslim body chief slams PM Modi's remarks on Waqf Act, seeks help from NDA allies | Latest news India

Islamic scholar Maulana Arshad Madani and President Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind have condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent statement that there is no place for Waqf Act in the Constitution, terming the remarks ” frivolous.”

The criticism came a day before the winter session of Parliament, for which the Union government listed the Waqf Amendment Bill for consideration and passage despite objections from opposition parties and several organizations Muslims.

The bill aims to restrict the power of Waqf boards to manage its properties and provides for more government regulation.

Speaking at an event organized by his organization in Patna, Bihar, Maulana Arshad Madani said, “I was dismayed to learn that Modi ji expressed the view that Waqf should be abolished since there is no provision in its favor in the Constitution. I don’t expect such a frivolous remark from the Indian Prime Minister.”

Muslims may be banned from offering Namaz

According to Madani, the Waqf is a crucial part of Islam, mentioned in the Hadith, and Muslims are responsible for its protection. He argued that Prime Minister Modi's statement, made on Saturday during his address to BJP workers in New Delhi, was not only misinformed but could also lead to unnecessary curtailment of religious rights of Muslims in India.

Tomorrow it can be said that Muslims will not be allowed to offer namaz, perform Haj pilgrimage and give zakat (alms), since this too is not mentioned in the Constitution, said the head of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.

“The Prime Minister must know that the Waqf is an integral part of Islam and is mentioned in the Hadiths, which are words spoken by our Prophet. As such, it is the duty of Muslims to safeguard the Waqf .

“The Prime Minister must also remember that the country's secular Constitution grants every religious minority the right to practice their faith. And Muslims are demanding this right by opposing the Waqf Bill,” he added. The Islamic scholar also urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra. Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, NDA allies on whom the BJP depends to stay in power at the Centre, not to support the bill saying it would “amount to stabbing Muslims in the back”.

“The ruling regime in the state is the crutch on which the Center stands. The powers that be in the state claim that they would not let Muslims suffer. The Waqf issue provides them with an opportunity to join in the gesture If they procrastinate, the community must decide whether or not to trust them more,” Madani said, indirectly referring to CM Nitish and Naidu.

Criticizing the “politics of hate” he accused the BJP of practicing, Madani said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma spent months in Jharkhand calling Muslims infiltrators. We must not forget that most Muslims are of Indian origin, Madani added.

Assam CM Sarma was the BJP's co-incharge of the parliamentary elections in neighboring Jharkhand.

Referring to the BJP's defeat in the Jharkhand Assembly elections, Madani said, “Those who were trying to spread hatred have been humiliated. It is God’s mercy, no doubt, but we must recognize that Hindus too stood with us in the struggle.”

What PM Modi said

Speaking at an event at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi Jad accused the Congress of “politics of appeasement” and said it had framed a law regarding the Waqf Board which does not has no mandate in the Constitution.

Prime Minister Modi made the remarks during a function at the BJP headquarters to celebrate the Mahayuti Party's landslide victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

“The Congress passed appeasement laws. They did not even bother about the Supreme Court order. An example of this is the Waqf Board. The people of Delhi will be surprised. The situation was that before leaving government in 2014, these people had handed over “There is no place for the Waqf Act in the Constitution given to us by Babasaheb Ambedkar, but the Congress did this to increase its vote bank,” the government said. agency of press ANI quoted Prime Minister Modi's remarks.

He also claimed that Congress had attempted to grant the death penalty to “true secularism.”