NEW DELHI, July 20: Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has alleged that the basic purpose of the Congress and some other parties criticizing the Waqf (Amendment) Act is to keep Muslims as their vote bank, and asserted that the Modi government believes in “appeasement to none, justice to all”.
With the Supreme Court in May reserving interim orders on three key issues after hearing both sides in the Waqf case, Rijiju said he will not make any preemptive statement right now with regard to the matter which is pending in the apex court.
“But let us make one thing very clear. The job of Parliament is to make laws. The Supreme Court can definitely interpret it in the right way,” Rijiju told PTI Videos in an interview.
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“We are very confident that whatever we have done is as per law and as per the provisions and spirit of the Constitution. I am very confident that the role of Parliament will not be taken away,” he said.
On AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s criticism of the new Waqf law, Rijiju said he doesn’t want to criticize Owaisi for his opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Act because he made the remarks against the legislation out of compulsion.
“The main problem is what I tell you. Some of these leaders, including the Congress party, have treated the Muslims as a vote bank. When you start taking and making a community as a vote bank, then you become irrational.
“Then you put them into one bracket, that good or bad doesn’t matter, they will all be rhetorical,” the minister said.
So, those who criticized the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, are only trying to keep the Muslims poor and ensure that they remain as their vote bank.
“Our thinking is opposite to that. Ours is appeasement to none, justice to all,” Rijiju said.
There are many within the Muslim community, lots of groups, women, children and backward communities who have not gotten any benefit out of the Waqf properties, the minister told PTI on Friday.
“So, India’s Waqf properties you know very well are the highest number of Waqf properties in the world. More than 9,70,000 Waqf properties are there which must be put into use for the purpose for which those properties were created,” Rijiju said.
He pointed out that under the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, “we are to handle through the mutawallis and the waqf boards proper management for the welfare of the Muslim community, especially the poor.”
“These (Congress and some other leaders) people know that if the Muslim community becomes better, prosperous then they will be more educated, have more understanding and they will not be the main vote bank for anybody,” Rijiju said.
“So, the basic purpose of Congress and some of the other leaders criticizing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is to make Muslims as their vote bank and to keep them poor all the time,” he said.
“Otherwise, tell me one reason why they should oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill? On a rational basis, they cannot,” he said.
On the Collector being given more powers under the new law, Rijiju said, “We are making the rules, now it’s in the final stage. There is no final authority to any officer. It is only responsibility being given to certain officers. If there are disputes between the government lands and the private, the collector has to decide, but the appeal has to be made to an officer which is higher than the collector. Otherwise, what is the job of the collectors? Collectors are there for revenue purposes primarily.”
“So, if you don’t trust collectors, then who do you trust?” he said.
Reiterating its observation on the presumption of constitutionality in favour of the law, the Supreme Court in May reserved interim orders on three key issues after hearing both sides in the waqf case.
The Centre has strongly defended the Act, saying waqf by its very nature was a secular concept and can’t be stayed given the presumption of constitutionality in its favour.
Moreover, though waqf was an Islamic concept, it was not an essential part of Islam.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in April and subsequently came into force through a government notification.
While the BJP-led NDA had rallied in support of the Bill, the opposition INDIA bloc united in opposing it.
Several Muslim bodies and opposition MPs had moved the Supreme Court against the law, which the ruling alliance has described as a force for transparency and empowerment of backward Muslims and women from the community. The Opposition has slammed it as unconstitutional and claimed that it infringes on the rights of Muslims. (PTI)
