Muslim Organizations to Use Legal Measures Against Encroachment on Waqf Land: Prof Salim Engineer

New Delhi, 7 February – (DeccanLive.com) The Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Prof Salim Engineer has come out strongly against the conduct of the JPC on Waqf and spelt out that Muslim organizations will adopt all legal means to resist attempts to usurp Waqf land through the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.

Briefing the media, at the JIH Monthly Press Conference at their headquarters, Prof Salim Engineer said, “We strongly oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, which threatens the ‎religious and constitutional rights of Muslims. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was biased, ignored opposition voices, and disregarded objections from Millions of citizens. Despite such widespread opposition, the bill is being pushed through, making the ‎consultative process appear meaningless and meant to deceive the people. The bill seeks to seize control of Waqf properties ‎under the pretence of reform. Removing the ‘Waqf by user’ principle endangers longstanding religious sites ‎like mosques and dargahs, opening them to litigation and potential state appropriation. The bill disrupts the definition of Waqf, alters custodians’ roles, and ‎curtails Waqf Boards’ independence. It infringes on Article 26, which protects religious ‎minorities’ right to manage their institutions. Waqf properties are not government assets but religious endowments. The Waqf ‎Boards and trustees are custodians of Waqf properties and any direct state control on their management will infringe on their constitutionally mandated religious rights. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind urges all secular parties, including NDA allies and the opposition, to oppose this ‎bill, which violates Articles 25, 26, 29, and 14 of the Constitution. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind urges the ‎government to withdraw the bill and focus instead on implementing existing Waqf laws ‎effectively. In the unfortunate likelihood of the government passing the said bill in an ‎undemocratic manner, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind will back the All India Muslim Personal Law Board ‎‎(AIMPLB) along with other Muslim organizations and resist these attempts by adopting all legal ‎and constitutional means to secure the usurped rights of the Muslim community and protect their Waqf ‎institutions and properties.‎”

National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Syed Tanveer Ahmed talked about the Mahakumbh stampede saying, “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is deeply saddened by the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh in ‎Prayagraj, which has claimed the lives of many innocent devotees. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in this moment of grief. This unfortunate incident again underscores the urgent need for meticulous planning and ‎crowd management in such vast gatherings. The safety and well-being of pilgrims must be the ‎highest priority. Seamless arrangements for the common devotees must be ensured, and the ‎administration should not neglect the fundamental responsibility of prioritizing their safety over ‎special services and access for VIPs. The Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government must take ‎responsibility and immediately address the shortcomings in their arrangements. The lives of ‎ordinary pilgrims deserve the same level of care and protection as the VIPs and special guests. We feel that there were attempts to unnecessarily gag the media and disallow any reporting that ‎showed the government and administration in poor light or highlighted the deficiencies in the ‎Mahakumbh arrangements. This high-handed approach prevented the media from critically ‎analysing the loopholes in managing the massive event which could otherwise have alerted the ‎government and administration to remove those shortcomings in time, ensuring better ‎preparedness and effective crisis management. We urge the authorities to take corrective ‎measures, remain open, and transparent, and allow the media to do its job to prevent such ‎tragedies in the future. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind appreciates the individuals, especially from the ‎Muslim community, who made extraordinary efforts to save lives and extend assistance to ‎thousands of Mahakumbh pilgrims. Many pilgrims were given refuge in mosques, and ‎arrangements were made to provide them with food, blankets, and other essential necessities. ‎ Our leaders ‎and the entire nation must take inspiration from their actions in upholding communal harmony, ‎brotherhood, and solidarity.‎”

The JIH Vice President, Prof Salim Engineer also gave a brief analysis of the Union Budget 2025-26 saying, “We appreciate the many positives in the Union Budget 2025-26 such as the ‎income tax cuts, raising the rebate threshold to Rs 12 lakh and adjusting slabs to benefit the ‎middle class. The other positive is that despite the Rs 1 lakh crore revenue loss, the budget ‎maintained fiscal prudence keeping the fiscal deficit to 4.4% of GDP. Also, a push for regulatory reforms would help ease of doing business and ‎help investment and trade. However, we are disappointed with this budget on several counts. ‎Jamaat-e-Islami Hind had ‎submitted its suggestions to the Finance Ministry before the budget, strongly advocating moving ‎from a supply-side strategy, focused on ‎business growth and tax incentives, to a demand-side ‎approach aimed at boosting citizens’ ‎purchasing power, stimulating consumption, and enhancing ‎welfare programs. Unfortunately, when we examined the Budget 2025-26, we felt that most of ‎our suggestions were ignored. The Union ‎Budget 2025-26 should have been expansionary. But on the contrary, total expenditure has ‎been reduced by almost one lakh crores. This is bound to have an impact on social ‎spending and further exacerbate the plight of the poor. We had demanded reversing ‎MGNREGA cuts, introducing an urban employment scheme, increasing healthcare spending to ‎‎4% of GDP, and launching a comprehensive education mission with 6% of GDP allocation. All ‎these remain unaddressed. Furthermore, the budget does not explicitly address minority ‎upliftment, SC/ST empowerment, or agrarian debt relief, leaving key issues of social justice and ‎equitable development unresolved. As can be seen from the Budget 2025-26, a large share of expenditure (20%) ‎goes toward interest payments on debt.‎ To avoid falling into a debt trap, we ‎must make a bold move towards an equity-based finance model and an interest-free economy. ‎Towards that end, we can begin by incorporating an equity-based, interest-free ‎banking window within conventional banks. We hope the government will rise above partisan and vote bank politics and keep ‎the budget as an instrument for genuine change in economic policy that will benefit all the ‎citizens of the country.‎”