‘Against freedom of religion’: Owaisi on buzz around Centre’s Waqf Board plan.

Asaduddin Owaisi alleged the BJP has been against these boards and Waqf properties since the beginning. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday reacted to buzz over Centre’s plan to bring a bill to curb the powers of Waqf Board over assets. “Firstly, when Parliament is in session, the central government is acting against parliamentary supremacy and privileges and informing the media and not informing Parliament. I can say that whatever has been written in the media about this proposed amendment shows that the Modi government wants to take away the autonomy of the Waqf Board and it wants to interfere,” AIMIM quoted Owaisi as saying.“This itself is against the freedom of religion. The second thing is that the BJP has been against these boards and Waqf properties from the very beginning and they have a Hindutva agenda…Now if you make amendments to the establishment and composition of the Waqf board, then there will be an administrative chaos, loss of autonomy of the Waqf board and if the control of the government increases over the Waqf Board, then the independence of Waqf will be affected,” he added.  “In the media report it is written that if there is any disputed property, then these people will say that the property is disputed, we will get it surveyed. The survey will be conducted by the BJP, CMs and you know what will be its result. There are many such dargahs in our India where BJP-RSS claims that they are not dargahs and mosques, so the executive is trying to snatch the power of the judiciary,” the Hyderabad MP added. According to an India Today report, the Centre is set to make amendments to the Waqf Act to restrict the powers of the Waqf Board. As per the report, the amendments are aimed to curb the Board’s authority to designate any property as ‘Waqf property’.