After spreading falsehoods against the humane Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that resulted in large scale violence at multiple locations, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has threatened to hold another “Shaheen Bagh-like protest” to oppose the upcoming Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Strikingly, ever since the government brought the draft legislation in public domain for recommendations, Islamist forces have been fear mongering against the legislation, falsely peddling that it could endanger their mosques, Madrassas, Mazars and could impinge on their fundamental right to religion.
Now, the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Jagdambika Pal has come out strongly against the Muslim body. He has slammed AIMPLB for issuing a threat of another Shaheen Bagh-like protest and dubbed the warning as an attempt to divide people.
On Monday, the AIMPLB staged another demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, alleging that the government is conspiring to seize Waqf properties. The protest saw participation from eleven opposition parties, including the Congress. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress leader Salman Khurshid also participated in the protest.
However, AIMPLB’s approach has drawn criticism from within the community as well, with Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi accusing the board of being hijacked by political interests rather than focusing on real Muslim issues.
Earlier, AIMPLB member Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas had warned, “If the bill is implemented, the entire country will witness a protest like Shaheen Bagh.”
Notably, Ilyas is the father of former JNU scholar and student activist Umar Khalid, who has been behind bars since September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the “larger conspiracy” case related to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
JPC Chairman slam AIMPLB
Reacting to AIMPLB’s stance, the JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal told IANS, “They have been opposing this bill from the very beginning. Despite this, we invited the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to present their views before the Joint Parliamentary Committee. Owaisi Sahab was also a member.”
He added, “We listened to everyone for 3-4 hours and recorded the opinions of every stakeholder from different states.”
Slamming Islamist forces for issuing threatening remarks, Pal asserted that the JPC report was prepared after extensive consultations.
He further stated, “We considered every stakeholder’s viewpoint before drafting the report. This law aims to protect Waqf properties from individuals who misuse them and prevent the benefits from reaching poor Muslims, women, and widows.
The bill hasn’t even been passed yet, and they are already calling for a Shaheen Bagh-like situation. This is a well-planned attempt to divide people, just like during the Article 370 and Triple Talaq debates,” he said.
The BJP leader pointed to the positive impact of past government decisions, stating, “Today, Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a tourism boom and economic prosperity. Similarly, the abolition of Triple Talaq has given minority women a new sense of security, and they are thankful to PM Modi for this historic decision.”
Defending the democratic process behind the bill, he added, “In a democracy, the power to make laws lies with the elected representatives of the people. The government introduced this bill and had the majority to pass it directly in Parliament.”
However, instead of rushing it, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju proposed referring it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
This was done to ensure that Muslim organisations across the country, including those now protesting, were heard, and a fair and balanced law was created.
Notably, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to introduce reforms such as digitization, enhanced audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.