"Devil Will Be In Details": Asaduddin Owaisi On Supreme Court's Waqf Order
Monday's Supreme Court order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act was not a good one for protecting Waqf properties despite certain clauses being stayed, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has said.
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Owaisi claimed the court had not stayed the significant amendments.
New Delhi:
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has expressed concern that Monday's Supreme Court ruling on the Waqf (Amendment) Act fails to adequately protect Waqf properties, despite certain provisions being temporarily stayed.
During an exclusive interview on Thursday, Owaisi discussed potential alliance opportunities with the opposition INDIA bloc for the upcoming Bihar elections and elaborated on his opposition to the recent India-Pakistan cricket match during the Asia Cup.
The Supreme Court's order specified that collectors cannot serve as final arbiters in Waqf property ownership disputes, suspended the requirement that individuals must practice Islam for five years before dedicating property as Waqf, and limited the number of non-Muslims in state Waqf boards and the central council.
Regarding the court's decision, Owaisi stated, "The government is not at all interested in protecting the Waqf system. They have called it an idea that is alien to our country. And with the Supreme Court not staying the major amendments, I am of the opinion that this will lead to encroachers of Waqf property being rewarded."
Addressing the five-year Islamic practice requirement, the five-term Hyderabad MP emphasized that the Supreme Court had not issued a complete stay, indicating the government should establish implementation rules.
"The devil will be in the details. Is there such a rule for any person who embraces religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, that some rules will be made before he can endow his own property to the religion he has embraced? That is not the case. So, the government would, I am sure, make rules in such a way that it will be difficult," he argued.
Owaisi contended that while the court capped non-Muslim representation on Waqf boards, the very inclusion of non-Muslims violates Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees religious denominations control over their religious affairs, institutions, and properties.
He questioned why non-Muslims were being included on Waqf Boards when similar inclusivity isn't mandated for Hindu Endowments Boards, Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committees, or the Bodh Gaya trust.
"I feel that the honourable Supreme Court must start the final hearing on the pleas against this Act and we will put forward all these views again. But yesterday has not been a good day for the protection of Waqf properties," the AIMIM leader concluded.
Bihar Elections
The Prime Minister recently visited Purnia in Bihar's Seemanchal region, where AIMIM achieved remarkable success by winning five seats in the 2020 Assembly elections.
Commenting on the PM's visit, Owaisi expressed surprise that the Purnia airport hadn't been inaugurated earlier.
"The Prime Minister has gone to Seemanchal, but can he tell the people there why their demand for a railway station in Kochadaman has not materialised? You (the BJP) have been in power for years and years. Why haven't you opened an AIIMS in Seemanchal? Why have you only made Gaya an industrial zone, why not Kishanganj, Araria or Katihar? So the Prime Minister went, but for what? Why have you not been able to control the flooding? Every year, lakhs of acres of land are cut off because of floods," he remarked.
Regarding a potential alliance with the INDIA bloc, Owaisi revealed his party had sent two letters to RJD leader Lalu Yadav and another to Tejashwi Yadav.
"In the letter to Tejashwi Yadav, we said that we only want six seats. We won five seats. Now it is up to them. They are independent and we are independent to contest seats. I don't know what will happen, but as far as our party is concerned, we will definitely contest with all the fervour, rigour and hard work that is required," he stated.
India-Pak Match
When questioned about his criticism of the India-Pakistan cricket match during the Asia Cup, Owaisi claimed it was organized purely for financial gain, and suggested the BJP would have vehemently opposed it following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor had they been in opposition.
"Nationalism does not mean that you only use it to win elections... Their argument that they will not play a bilateral does not hold water," he concluded.