Mumbai: Days after the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) sought people’s suggestions and objections on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh led a delegation of Muslim community leaders to meet NCP (SP) MP Suresh Mhatre (Balya Mama) at Anjuman-I-Islam near CSMT. Anjuman president Dr Zahir Kazi was also present at the meeting.
“The members of the Muslim community in the state expressed their opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill.The community members spoke at length, presenting reasons why it should not be enacted,” said Shaikh.
Senior Cleric Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, who was also present, said that the community rejects the Bill and wants the Centre to roll it back since “implementation of the proposed amendments will open floodgates for litigation over Waqf properties and the community will eventually lose them.” He added that the amendments, like saying that a Waqf property by use will not be considered Waqf, meant thousands of acres of Waqf land under use for decades would be declared non-Waqf and taken away from the community.
After hearing the community members, Mhatre said: “It was an engaging meeting with the community. I will certainly present all the objections raised during the meeting in the JPC. I will strive to ensure justice for them.”