BJP protected waqf assets and will continue to do so, says Joshi

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi has said that the BJP had done the work of protecting waqf properties earlier and would continue to do so in future.

Speaking to presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, he, however, added that BJP would not allow waqf board or land grabbers to grab properties of the poor, commoners, and farmers in the name of waqf property.

Mr. Joshi accused the Congress government in the State of launching a ‘misleading the public campaign’ on the waqf issue. He said that misleading and misguiding the people was in the Congress party’s DNA. The Congress never tried to convince the people, instead misguiding public had become its culture, he said.

Mr. Joshi claimed that while the Congress was confusing people on the waqf issue, the BJP had shown a clear stand on the issue and would never allow waqf board to encroach upon people’s properties. “The BJP has done the work of protecting waqf.”

He said that as per the Anwar Manappadi committee report, influential leaders of the Congress had grabbed 29,000 acres of waqf properties and the committee had also reported misuse of waqf properties.

Urging the people to be cautious, Mr. Joshi asked the general public to keep a watch and verify their land records on regular basis as under the present government nobody knew when an individual’s property could become waqf asset. Mr. Joshi asked the public to keep verifying their land records until the present government continued in the office and till the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, got passed in the Parliament. Former Ministers Govind Karjol, Murugesh Nirani and others were present.