Bill to curb powers of waqf boards against freedom of religion: Owaisi

Hyderabad: Amid media reports that the Centre is likely to introduce a bill to curb the "unfettered" powers of waqf boards, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday alleged that the NDA government wants to take away the autonomy of the waqf board.

BJP has been against waqf boards and waqf properties "from the beginning" and it has made attempts to finish waqf properties and waqf board as per its "Hindutva agenda", he claimed.

The proposed amendments, as reported in media, show that the "Modi governments wants to take away the autonomy of waqf board. It wants to interfere ... how to run waqf property. That itself is against freedeom of religion," he told reporters here.

If any amendments are made in the establishment and composition of waqf boards, there will be "administrative chaos" and the waqf board would lose its autonomy, the Hyderabad MP said.

The proposed amendments indicate that government officials would conduct a survey of a disputed property instead of the matter being adjudicated in a court. If the survey is conducted by a BJP government, its outcome would be to say the property is not a waqf property, Owaisi alleged.

There are many dargahs and mosques in the country which the BJP-RSS claim are not dargahs and mosques, Owaisi said. "All in all, if the media reports are true, Modi government wants to take away waqf board's properties from Muslims," he said.

The allies of BJP have to think whether they want the waqf properties of Muslims to be taken away, he cautioned.

When Parliament is in session, the government is informing media on the matter and not informing Parliament, which is against parliamentary supremacy, he pointed out.