Congress leaders including Kharge have captured Waqf properties, are provoking Muslims: BJP’s Agrawal
BJP’s National General Secretary Radha Mohan Das Agrawal on Thursday alleged that most of the Congress leaders from Karnataka, including the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, have captured Waqf properties and, therefore, are provoking Muslim community members against the Waqf Act, 2025.
Agarwal, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said the Act is to ensure that poor Muslims get the benefits meant for them.
“Among those looting the Waqf properties of Karnataka, the biggest name is of Congress party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge. He too (like other Congress leaders in the state) has captured Waqf property,” Agrawal said while interacting with media persons in Ahmedabad where he arrived on Thursday to participate in a workshop of the state BJP office bearers on the Act.
Calling the allegations baseless, Gujarat Congress said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, instead, should answer when Dalits and tribals in the state will get their land rights.
Earlier, Agrawal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the first right over the resources of the country will be of the poor – irrespective of community or religion. And accordingly, the Modi government’s policies have the poor in focus, he added.
Invoking the report of Sachar Committee of 2006, Agrawal said the panel had raised questions over annual income of the Waqf properties in the country, which was “merely” Rs 163 crore then and “which should have been approximately Rs 12,000 crore”.
He alleged that 97% income of Waqf properties is being looted, which has to be stopped. And therefore, he added, PM Modi has come up with the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.
He said that under the Waqf Act, 2025, each and every Waqf property will be digitalised with details like who is in possession of the property, its income etc.
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“And this is the root of the entire problem…Because who is in possession (of Waqf properties)? The possession is that of politicians, of leaders of Muslim Personal Law Board, of CEOs of Waqf Board and of those who act as leaders of Muslims,” Agrawal said at the workshop that was organised so that a campaign could be carried out in the state to make people aware about the amendments made to the Waqf Act.
“If I give you the names, you will be shocked,” he said as he accused Kharge of capturing Waqf property.
Agrawal further alleged that it is because of this reason that Muslims were being provoked saying that mosques, dargah (shrine) and kabrastan (graveyard) will be demolished.
Spokesperson of Gujarat Congress Manish Doshi said, “It has been the biggest business of the BJP and its stooges in Gujarat and country to illegally capture government land and land of tribals/Dalits. Instead of making baseless allegations against the Congress, such people should say when will they give the Dalits their rightful land (under Agricultural Land Ceiling Act) in Gujarat, when will they give rightful land rights to tribals.”
Doshi added, “Khargeji has clearly said it from the floor of the Parliament and outside that he has done no wrong and one should stop making false allegations against him.”