Hyderabad: AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday criticised the Modi government's proposed Waqf ammendment bill, questioning the mandatory inclusion of two non-Muslim members in the central Waqf Council.
Owaisi questioned that if Muslims cannot be trustees of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) then how can a non-Muslim be in the Waqf board?
Addressing a press conference AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "Not even a single member of the 24 members of TTD Board (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) is a non-Hindu...The new Chairman of TTD says that the people working there should be Hindu...We are not against this, we just have an objection to the fact that Narendra Modi's government is saying in the proposed bill of Waqf that in the central Waqf Council, it has been made mandatory that 2 non-Muslim members should be there...Why are you bringing this provision in the Waqf bill? TTD is a board of the Hindu religion and Waqf Board is for the Muslim religion. There should be parity...When the trustees of TTD cannot be Muslims, how will a non-Muslim member be on the Waqf Board?"
His comments came after newly appointed Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Chairman BR Naidu on Thursday said he would prioritise discussions with the government about employees of other religions working at Tirumala, considering whether they should be transferred to other departments or given voluntary retirement.
Also Read: It should be investigated...: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Budgam terror attack
"We used to frequently go to Tirumala. I thank Chandrababu Naidu and NDA leaders for appointing me. I consider this a turning point in my life. The previous government made a lot of mistakes there. I did not go to Tirumala even once in 5 years because I felt that it did not have its sanctity. I intend to just work there not with the intention of gaining anything. I will talk to govt about the people from other religions, working in Tirumala on first priority whether to shift them to other departments or give them VRS," he said.
The Waqf Act, 1995, which was created to regulate waqf properties, has long faced allegations of mismanagement, corruption and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat announced on Thursday that the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will conduct a study tour across five Indian cities.
The committee will visit Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9 to November 14, as part of its examination of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
—ANI