"We will never forgive you": Owaisi slams NDA over Waqf Bill

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 28 (ANI): All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday launched a sharp attack on NDA allies including Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, and Jayant Chaudhary, accusing them of enabling the BJP to target Muslim institutions and warning them that the community "will never forgive" their actions.
Speaking at the public meeting, Owaisi said,"Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary, remember that we will never forgive you. You are allowing BJP to attack our Shariat. If these four say that the Bill (Waqf Bill) should not be brought, then it will not be brought. But you are permitting the BJP to finish our mosques, our Waqf."
Owaisi slammed the Centre over the proposed Waqf Bill and said, "We are sporting a black band against Waqf Bill, by the order of AIMPLB. Through this Waqf Bill, Narendra Modi is shooting bullets on our chest, on our mosques, on our dargahs."
He questioned the government's intent behind the legislation and said," When Hindu temples (committees) can have only Hindu members, then how can a non-Muslim be part of the Waqf Board? When Gurudwaras can have only Sikh members, then how can we make a non-Muslim member here? What justice is this?"
https://x.com/asadowaisi/status/1905644905776701670
Taking to X, he wrote, "In India, neither Hindus are in danger from Muslims nor Muslims are in danger from Hindus. Rather, if anyone is in danger in India, it is from the thinking of RSS."
Earlier on Friday, Muslims in India staged a peaceful protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill by wearing black armbands during Alvida Namaz.
AIMPLB spokesperson Dr Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that this form of protest is a democratic way to express dissent.
By wearing black armbands is to convey opposition to the bill and assert their voices in the democratic process. Muslim leaders also joined the protest. In Hyderbad, AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is also part of the JPC on the Waqf bill, joined in the symbolic protest wearing a black armband as he offered prayers on Friday.
The protest follows an earlier appeal by AIMPLB on March 27, urging Muslims to wear black armbands to mark Alvida Juma, the last Friday of Ramzan.
Sharing a letter on X, AIMPLB stated, "The strong protests by Muslims at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Dharna Sthal in Patna have at least caused a stir among BJP's allied parties. Now, a massive protest is also scheduled to take place in Vijayawada on March 29, 2025."
The AIMPLB expressed its concerns over the bill, describing it as a "sinister conspiracy" that aims to deprive Muslims of their religious and charitable institutions.
Earlier, Owaisi had said that their job is to protest because the law is unconstitutional. He added that the law will not save the Waqf property, but there are provisions in it which will snatch away the graveyards, khanqahs and the Dargahs from the Muslims.
Asaduddin Owaisi was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to amend the Waqf Amendment Act led by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)