Before Waqf awareness drive in Uttarakhand, BJP leader’s promise: Freed land will be used to build homes for poor Muslim women

The workshop comes at a time when there’s pushback against the new Waqf amendment law, which amends the concept of “Waqf by user” under the 1995 Waqf law. The old provision states that properties being used  as Waqf properties will remain Waqf even if the user does not exist.

“The current amendment corrects mistakes made by previous Congress governments in 1995 and 2013. No anti-national activity should be encouraged under the guise of appeasement, and Waqf properties must be used for the genuine welfare of the poor. As in UP, freed land will be used to build PM Awas for poor Muslim women—especially widows and divorcees—and orphan children. Facilities such as hospitals, schools, and community centres will also be developed on these lands,” he said.

The BJP has also touted provisions in UCC, such as ban on polygamy and “halala” as reforms towards empowerment of Muslim women. Recently, the government appointed Shayaro Bano, the petitioner in the Triple Talaq case, as the vice-president of Uttarakhand Women’s Commission.

Bano, originally from the state, was the petitioner in the case after she approached the court in 2016 demanding that the talaq-e-biddat pronounced by her husband be declared as void. She had argued that such a unilateral form of divorce be declared unconstitutional, and that the practice violated the fundamental rights of Muslim women.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the BJP is launching the Waqf Awareness Campaign with the message, “Only the poor shall receive the rights of the poor”. He said the government will ensure the use of Waqf properties for the welfare of the “backward Muslim communities”, and women. “Without interfering in religious matters, every inch of land under the Waqf Board in the state will be reviewed and protected,” he said.

Dhami said that religious freedom will not be harmed, and that every inch of Waqf land will be examined. He emphasised that the law will benefit the poorest Muslims—divorced and widowed women, orphans, and other underprivileged individuals. He said all 5,700 registered Waqf properties in Uttarakhand will be thoroughly verified.

Gautam said that the BJP believes that the development of the Muslim community is essential for a developed India, and the Waqf amendment law is a “milestone” in that direction.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairperson Shadab Shams said that many victims of such actions were from minority communities themselves.

Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni said that the BJP has not fulfilled their 2014 promises.

“The PM Awas promise is also one of such promises, such as the two crore jobs every year, bringing the value of one rupee to the value of one dollar, cleaning Ganga and Yamuna. This new promise will also remain a promise like the others. Minority communities should get this straight that BJP is trying to trap them. Whatever they say in defence of the Waqf amendment is a hoax,” she said.

This comes when the state is witnessing a persistent crackdown on “unrecognised” madrasas, with the Dhami government sealing over 170 institutions. It also comes at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing appeals against the Waqf law.

Amid anti-Waqf law protests, the BJP has announced a nationwide “awareness campaign” from April 20 to May 5 – the SC’s next hearing in the Waqf law case.