Jamiat cautions TDP, JD(U), says even 'crutches' will not escape responsibility if Waqf bill passed
Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Sunday urged TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar to heed the sentiments of Muslims on the matter and said the parties within the NDA that claim to be secular must distance themselves from supporting this «dangerous» legislation. It also cautioned that if the legislation is passed, the «two crutches» on which the BJP-led government is running at the Centre would not be able to escape responsibility.
Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani made the assertion at the prominent Muslim body's 'Save Constitution Convention' held here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
«People of the country defeated the BJP. They did not accept their policies. This government is dependent on two crutches — a strong one is Chandrababu and the other is Bihar's Nitish Kumar. I had invited him (Naidu), he excused himself but had sent his party's vice president Nawab Jan. I look at this positively as he will convey the sentiments of the people gathered here,» Madani said, gesturing to the large gathering of Jamiat functionaries and supporters.
«If the Waqf Bill is passed ignoring the emotions of the Muslims — it would be as much a responsibility of the crutches as it would be of other powers at the Centre,» Madani asserted.
A resolution passed by the Jamiat at the Convention put forward the demand that no individual from any other religion be included in the Waqf Board, and that Parliament's joint committee be bound to consult only Muslims, Muslim organisations, and Muslim leaders.
