Amit Shah slams UPA for ‘turning Waqf into a land-grabbing machine’ before 2014 elections

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, presented a lengthy list of properties he claimed were donated to Waqf. This list included land belonging to temples, other religions, the government, and others. The Home Minister asserted, “You cannot donate someone else’s property. You donate something which is yours.” His comments reinforced the government’s stance that significant lands and properties had been taken over by Waqf, with last-minute interventions to save others. The government argued that Waqf had become a tool for land-grabbing. To highlight his point, Amit Shah cited several examples. He mentioned that the Karnataka High Court had to intervene to stop Waqf from claiming 602 square kilometres of land.

He also noted: “Properties in (Delhi’s) Lutyens zone went to Waqf, and they started taking over government land... In Tamil Nadu, a 400-year-old temple property was declared as Waqf property. Land for a five-star establishment was given to Waqf for Rs 12,000 a month... Several properties belonging to different religions were declared as Waqf property, including Chandra Shekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj.” The Home Minister asserted that the amended Waqf Bill would help prevent such land seizures. “This bill will protect property. Like ASI property, Tribal land, private property, and for Waqf, you can only donate private, personal property and not the land of the community (village). This bill will bring transparency,” he stated.

Amit Shah slammed the UPA government for changing Waqf rules just before the 2014 general election. He described it as another instance of “politics of appeasement” and stated, “In 2013, they (the Congress-led government) wiped out the provision to take land-grabbing complaints to court. They sinned. The new bill will not come in retrospective effect but they are trying to scare the people.” The Home Minister further stated that the government had consulted a broad spectrum of people before bringing the amendments. “We got over 1 crore suggestions from people... Our principle is clear, we won’t bring any law for vote bank, it’s for justice,” he said. Amit Shah also pointed out that the Bill had received support from Christians in Kerala.