Daijiworld Media Network – Malda
Malda, Dec 3: In a clear bid to consolidate the Trinamool Congress’ Muslim vote base ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that it was the BJP — not her party — that brought the Waqf Act, and vowed that the state would not allow any “interference” in Waqf properties.
Addressing a rally at Gazole in Malda district, Mamata Banerjee said, “We won’t follow the Act and have opposed it in the state legislative assembly. The state government has filed a case in the Supreme Court. The case is still on and I won’t allow anybody to touch the Waqf properties.”
Her remarks came even as the Central Government’s amended provisions to the Waqf Act, 1995, await scrutiny before the Supreme Court. A senior state official noted that there is no stay on the implementation of the Centre’s changes, making compliance mandatory within the given timeframe.
Under the amended rules, mutawallis of 8,063 Waqf estates in Bengal must upload all property details on the UMEED portal by December 6.
Mamata’s comments also came just four days after her government directed district magistrates (DMs) across Bengal to begin uploading Waqf property details on the Centre’s Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal.
The minority affairs and madrasah education department had issued the order, saying the process was a time-bound compliance requirement set by the Centre. Officials said the directive asks DMs to hold meetings with imams, muezzins and madrasa teachers to explain the uploading procedure, ensure only undisputed properties are entered, and set up facilitation centres wherever technical help is needed.
The move has triggered political controversy, especially after the state earlier claimed it would not implement the amended Waqf Act that came into force in April.
Senior BJP leaders blamed the Chief Minister for communal clashes in Samserganj, Murshidabad, during protests over the amendment. “Will Mamata Banerjee apologise to Hindus in Mothabari, where 68 shops were vandalised?” Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari asked, after the government’s latest directive to DMs.
West Bengal has nearly 82,000 Waqf properties under close to 8,000 Waqf estates.