Non-Muslims may be appointed to Waqf board for administrative purposes: Top quotes from Amit Shah's speech in LS

Amit Shah

Intervening in the debate on Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah clarified that non-Muslim members may be appointed to the board and Parishad for administrative purposes.

In an effort to refute the ongoing chatter on  inclusion of non-Muslims in the Waqf board, the Home Minister stated that there is neither any provision for the appointment of a non-Muslim to manage the religious institution, nor does the government intend to introduce any such provision.

A rumor is being spread that this Act is aimed at interfering with the religious practices of our Muslim brothers and their donated property. This is being done to intimidate the minorities, clarified Shah.

Speaking in support of the Bill, Shah said: “Opposition MPs are spreading misinformation, either unknowingly or for political reasons. Waqf refers to a donation for religious charities in the name of Allah—an irrevocable charitable endowment. Donations can only be made from one’s own property, not government land.”

Here are the top quotes from Amit Shah's intervention in Lok Sabha:

- "The Waqf came into being from the principles of Islam. I want to tell all Muslims that non-Muslims won't enter your Waqf. Waqf parishad oversees and checks the functioning of the property and catches those who misuse their power and illegally grab land."

- "You (Opposition parties) had made provisions that people couldn’t even challenge Waqf, but our bill has this provision that any grievance can be raised in Court..."

- "Congress donated 123 VIP properties in New Delhi to the Waqf board just ahead of the 2014 polls. He said the Congress also donated railway land to the Waqf by making amendments to the Waqf Act in 2013."

- “Can a Hindu, Jain or Sikh charity commissioner not be from another religion? You will break the nation. This Bill was not necessary if they had not amended the Bill in 2013 and made it extreme."

- "Waqf has the same stretch of land as Railways; While railways runs its entire business on it, Waqf has an income of only Rs 126 crore. Can you believe it?."

- "Modi government has fulfilled Lalu Prasad Yadav’s wish, they couldn’t; he (Lalu Yadav) had sought stringent law to regulate Waqf."

- "This is the standard procedure for all land transactions. You must prove that the land being declared as Waqf property does not belong to the government."