Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal

Bhopal, Mar 18: Congress MLA Arif Masood, representing Bhopal Central, criticized the BJP-led Union government's push for the Waqf Amendment Bill, stating there was no need for such legislation. He argued that the Bill was being imposed "unnecessarily" and claimed the opposition members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) had raised concerns, which were ignored.

Masood, a three-time MLA, emphasized that the upcoming Bill had no relevance to the Waqf Board's property and warned that the Muslim community would strongly oppose it. He added that the BJP's efforts were irrelevant and against the interests of Muslims.

The Congress MLA had earlier opposed both the Waqf Amendment Bill and the Madhya Pradesh government's survey of Waqf properties, alleging that the data presented was incorrect and could lead to conflicts among stakeholders. Despite this, Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board Chairman Sanwar Patel insisted that the survey aimed to remove encroachments on the 14,986 Waqf properties in the state, with up to 90 percent of them allegedly illegally occupied.

Masood also highlighted the support from Congress and other opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill-2024.