BJP will seek opinion from Muslims on Wakf Amendment Bill, gave responsibility to Minority Front

New Delhi: Amid strong criticism of the Wakf (Amendment) Bill by some prominent Muslim organisations, the BJP Minority Morcha will seek suggestions from Muslims for reforming the Wakf Board and submit them before the parliamentary committee examining the Bill. Sources said a team of seven BJP members, including chairmen of state Wakf Boards, will seek the views of the minority community from across the country and address their concerns on several issues.

BJP Minority Front will submit report to parliamentary team

A BJP leader claimed that we will convey every suggestion to the committee. If there is any concern on any aspect of the bill, we will express that too. But, the need for reform in the Wakf Board is felt by the community everywhere. The Minority Morcha will share its report with the BJP leadership and the parliamentary committee headed by senior party MP Jagdambika Pal.

Who is in the Minority Front team?

The members of the Minority Front team include Shadab Shams, Sanwar Patel and Mohsin Lokhandwala, heads of Wakf Boards in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and Zakir Hussain, administrator of Haryana Wakf Board. The issue was also raised in the Minority Front meeting held at the BJP headquarters last week.

Attempts to create an atmosphere in favor of Wakf Act

Sources said that the party leadership has asked Morcha chief Jamal Siddiqui to contact Muslims across the country and create an atmosphere in favour of reforms in the Waqf Act, so that the functioning of various Waqf boards can be made more accountable and transparent. Major Muslim organizations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and All India Muslim Personal Law Board are opposing the proposed bill and alleging that it is against their religious practices and a violation of the Constitution.

(With agency inputs)