"Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional; is grave violation of Article 14, 25, 26 and 29": Asaduddin Owaisi

New Delhi [India], April 1 : Criticising the Waqf Amendment Bill, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said that this bill is unconstitutional and "grave violation" of Article 14, 25, 26 and 29 of the Indian Constitution.
Owaisi said that this is not Waqf Bill, rather it's a "Waqf Barbaad Bill." The AIMIM chief further questioned NDA allies Nitish Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary on the reasons behind their support for the Waqf Amendment Bill.
"This bill is unconstitutional. This bill is a grave violation of Article 14, Articles 25, 26 and 29. This is not Waqf Bill rather it's a Waqf Barbaad Bill. If Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary will praise it then they are doing so for their political reasons... They are supporting it but what answer will they give to the public after 5 years? If no non-Hindu can become a member in the Hindu Endowment Board, then why are you making a non-Muslim here?..." Owaisi told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned today and is scheduled to meet again at 2.00 pm on Tuesday.
The government is slated to table the revised Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament this week. Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju hit out at leaders seeking to "misguide" people and said the Waqf law has been in existence for decades.
"Some people are saying that this Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional. Waqf rules have existed since before independence. All these provisions are already in existence. If the Waqf Act has been in existence since before independence, then how can it be illegal? Innocent Muslims are being misled by saying that the government is going to snatch the properties and rights of the Muslims. The false things being spread by some people are very harmful to our society and nation," Rijiju told media persons.
Many opposition parties are opposing the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act. Earlier, Rijiju said that criticising the bill was everyone's right, but it must be substantial.
On Monday, Congress MP and party's General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh called the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, "a direct attack on Constitution," vowing to protest against the implementation of the bill, and demanding that NDA allies Telegu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) clarify their stance on the issue.
"Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a direct attack on the constitution and against its foundation, it has been bulldozed through the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee). If they implement it, we will we will oppose it democratically," Jairam Ramesh told ANI.
Claiming that the bill was "bulldozed" through the Joint Parliamentary Committee, he said that a thorough discussion of each clause was not done in the committee.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also called the 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill,' aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.