Hubballi, Oct 29 (IANS): Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday that Waqf may claim rights over the land of people so Hindus should wake up against such claims.
Speaking to the media in Dharwad on Tuesday, he further stated, “The Waqf Act itself is a mistake; The Waqf Law, unseen anywhere else in the world, needs amendment.”
Joshi pointed out that Waqf in India operates without limitations, which is unprecedented globally. "Hindus and farmers must be vigilant," he cautioned.
He warned that Congress has given Waqf so much unchecked power for appeasement politics that, someday, Waqf may even claim “our homes and lands”.
"This kind of appeasement cannot be tolerated. The introduction of the Waqf Act in India itself was a mistake. Removing it altogether would be the right step," said Pralhad Joshi.
He questioned why the Congress introduced the Waqf Act during the late PM Jawahar Lal Nehru's time and further expanded its powers in 2013.
"The introduction of the Waqf Act was the first mistake. Is it reasonable for Waqf to wield unchecked power that even the Supreme Court cannot question?" He further suggested that scrapping the act would set things right.
Given the current developments, at the very least, the Waqf Act needs to be amended, Joshi argued, adding that those using Waqf as a means to seize property in the name of Allah must be restrained.
He accused Minister Zameer Ahmed and the Congress of colluding to seize farmers’ land, temples, monasteries, and the property of poor Muslims under Waqf's guise.
He demanded the immediate suspension of Tehsildars and other officials who amended land records to list farmers’ land as Waqf property.
He stated that the Deputy Commissioner should correct records that list properties as Waqf without farmers having to resubmit documentation. "Did they ask for proof when registering it under Waqf?" Joshi criticised, demanding the withdrawal of notices and immediate rectification without delay, warning of a fierce protest otherwise.
"Hindus find themselves ignored under Congress governance," Joshi noted.
"I urge people not to be swayed by Congress’s free schemes and not to vote for them. Supporting Congress could mean losing homes, temples, and lands in the end. This is my heartfelt appeal," Minister Pralhad Joshi stated.