‘Consider Muslim sentiments’: Jamiat to TDP, JD(U) on Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Intensifying its campaign against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Sunday called on TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar to consider the sentiments of the Muslim community regarding the issue.

It also warned that if the legislation is passed, the "two crutches" supporting the BJP-led government at the Centre will not be able to evade responsibility.

Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani made this statement at the ‘Save Constitution Convention’ organised by the prominent Muslim group at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Madani said that the people of the country defeated the BJP by rejecting their policies. He mentioned that the government depends on two crutches, one is Chandrababu Naidu and the other is Nitish Kumar from Bihar.

Madani claimed that he had invited Naidu, who declined but sent his party's vice president, Nawab Jan. He expressed a positive view, believing that Jan would convey the sentiments of the large gathering of Jamiat functionaries and supporters present.

“If the Waqf Bill is passed ignoring the emotions of the Muslims -- it would be as much a responsibility of the crutches as it would be of other powers at the Centre,” PTI quoted Madani as saying. 

The Jamiat has announced plans to organise a gathering of approximately five lakh Muslims in Chandrababu Naidu's constituency by the end of this month or in December, where they will present the concerns and sentiments of the Muslim community in detail.

“If this bill is passed, the crutches on which the government is dependent would not be able to escape responsibility for it,” he reiterated.

Madani said the Waqf is established by “our ancestors and is a part of Allah's ownership, with mosques built on it.”

“You (government) should protect them because we live in this country and we have not come from outside. If a Hindu is a Gujjar, a Muslim is also a Gujjar...Hindus are Jats, Muslims are also Jats -- They chant slogans saying that Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are separate, but we say that 'Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians sab hai bhai bhai,” the Jamiat chief said.

Madani said there are many mosques in Delhi, some of which are 400 to 500 years old. He pointed out that there is a section in India attempting to usurp these mosques, questioning who can present 500-year-old documents. He added that the law states any mosque built on Waqf land is considered Waqf.

He also said that the INDIA bloc and Rahul Gandhi had claimed in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls that if they came to power, all minorities would be free to practice their religion.

“That is why I urged Muslims to support the alliance that gives them the freedom to practice their religion and I am happy that Muslims supported the alliance throughout the country. The alliance moved forward and the BJP was defeated,” Madani said.