Srinagar: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on Saturday said that the Waqf Amendment Bill was proposed to bring transparency in the management of Waqf properties across the country.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Rijiju dismissed concerns that the amendment would take away Waqf properties from Muslims. “There are some people creating confusion, but that is not true. Our aim is to ensure transparency so that the poor benefit from these properties,” he said, according to news agency KINS.
When asked whether Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu supported the bill, Rijiju said they were on board. “I have met thousands of Muslims, and they, too, have endorsed these amendments for the betterment of the community,” he added.
On the confiscation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) books by the police, the minister said it was a law and order issue and that the police must have acted for specific reasons. He also refused to comment on the closure of Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, stating that it was a matter for the J&K government.
Rijiju asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was leading a corruption-free government for the past 11 years. “Show me one BJP minister involved in corruption,” he challenged.
Speaking on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, the minister reiterated that both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had assured its restoration in due course.
Rijiju also shared details about the Union Budget, stating that the Centre was committed to supporting J&K’s development. “We are creating world-class infrastructure here,” he said. (KINS)
