"It may happen that majority of the members could be non-Muslims. Are you giving justice to minorities?, says Sawant
Arvind Sawant, File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant claimed that the Centre's intentions to amend the Waqf Act are not good and it wants to set a "Hindu-Muslim narrative" in the country through it, PTI reported.
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As per PTI, in an interview, Sawant, who was a member of the Joint Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill also accused the parliamentary panel chief, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, of adopting "deceptive practices" and not holding a clause-by-clause discussion on the proposed law as mentioned in its agenda.
He further labelled the functioning of the panel as "dictatorial".
The bill aims to simplify the registration process for Waqf properties and prevent their misuse. It is expected to be presented in Parliament during the second part of the Budget Session, which will take place from March 10 to April 4.
In January, the 10 opposition members on the 31-member panel were suspended after a ruckus over the scheduling of the clause-by-clause discussion of the bill. Sawant alleged that this incident demonstrated the "dictatorial" approach of the panel's chairman, who, he claimed, was being directed by BJP leaders to control the committee's proceedings, PTI reported.
"The intentions of the government are not good. They want to set a narrative in this country and they are doing it consistently and making a fool of the people," the former Union minister claimed.
"The government is trying to set a Hindu-Muslim narrative and that it is here to protect the Hindus. You protect the interests of Hindus. We too are doing that. To protect the interest of Hindus does not mean (one has) to create hatred (towards) other people," Sawant said, PTI cited.
The Waqf bill is set to come up in Parliament during the second half of the Budget Session, following the Union Cabinet’s approval of the amendments proposed by the joint committee.
During its meeting on February 19, the Cabinet reportedly approved 14 amendments proposed by the committee, which had tabled its report in Parliament on February 13, amid opposition uproar and a walkout.
Sawant stated that the opposition would strongly oppose the bill when it is introduced in Parliament, adding that the committee had disregarded concerns raised by opposition members.
It wanted the dissent note given by the opposition to be part of the report. Nobody knows if it is a part of the whole thing or not, the Sena (UBT) leader said, PTI reported.
The MP also claimed that the panel invited stakeholders, some of whom were affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate, Vanvasi Ashram.
"They were invited as stakeholders just to oppose the fact that they (the Waqf board) have hectares of land belonging to them. These are illusions created by the BJP," Sawant alleged.
He also expressed concerns about the government's push for a Uniform Civil Code, claiming that the proposal to have two non-Muslims on the Waqf board, along with additional officers, would lead to non-Muslims dominating the board, given that elections will no longer be held, PTI reported.
Earlier, the board used to conduct elections and people from the Muslim community got representation on the Waqf board. Now, the government has decided not to conduct elections and it will nominate members to the board, Sawant said.
"It may happen that majority of the members could be non-Muslims. Are you giving justice to minorities? Justice is justice either for minority or majority," Sawant said.
"I have sheer apprehensions in my mind over what will happen to my Hindu temples," he added, PTI cited.
According to PTI, the MP voiced apprehension about the future of Hindu temples, pointing to the existing Hindu Endowment Act, which ensures that only Hindus can sit on the managing committees of temples like those in Pandharpur and Varanasi.
"When you talk about a common civil code, they (Muslim community) will say what is in the Waqf (bill) should also be applicable to Hindu temples. We will not tolerate that. We do not want anyone other than Hindus on temples' managing committees," Sawant said.
As per the existing provisions, the survey commissioner is to conduct a survey in case of a dispute, he said, PTI cited.
"They have replaced the survey commissioner with the (district) collector. But the collector represents the revenue department, the land belongs to the revenue department," Sawant said.
So the complainant as well as the judge under the proposed provisions is the government, he added.
The 655-page report from the joint committee was submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30.
The report, which included changes suggested by BJP members, was adopted by a majority vote of 15-11, prompting the opposition to accuse the government of attempting to destroy the Waqf boards.
The bill was referred to the joint committee of Parliament on August 8 last year, following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
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