'Narendra Modi, The Boldest PM India Ever Had'

The Umeed Act when the Waqf Amendment Bill gets passed by both houses of Parliament is yet another bold step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By correcting historical wrongs such as scrapping Article 370, coming out with Citizenship Act, making instant Triple Talaw illegal and now the Umeed bill demonstrate that he is the boldest Prime Minister India ever has had.

People often say that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the boldest. I beg to differ because any other Prime Minister would have undertaken the same step that she took during the creation of Bangladesh. Also unexplained is the reason for not seeking permanent solution to the Kashmir issue when more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers had become prisoners of war.

She just needed to hold Zufikar Ali Bhutto by the collar and force him to sign on the transfer of PoK (Pakistani Occupied Kashmir) to India for everlasting peace in the region. The Pakistani army was down and depressed and they too would have accepted the proposal. But she was too enamoured of her own achievements to think of the larger vision for the country.

And it is always easier to mobilize people while facing an outside enemy than to undertake reforms that everybody talks of but refuses to take any step for the fear of community backlash. There was a time when people advocated that reforms should come from within the community and those outside should not force anything.

This logic meant watching the wrongs perpetrated in the name of religion or exclusivity. Don't do anything even if Muslim women suffer the worst practice of instant Triple Talaq and Halala. Don't do anything in Kashmir since Article 370 would whittle down on its own even if the law was discriminatory and violated the Fundamental Rights of citizen. Who would oppose the provision of every citizen having a Citizen's Card? Only those who favour illegal migration that seeks to change demography for nefarious objectives.

The Umeed Act is going to benefit the poor among the Muslims in a big way. This remains a puzzle how a Board that occupies 9.4 lakh acres of land across 8.7 lakh properties at an estimated value of Rupees 1.20 lakh crore earn a pittance on yearly basis.
The earning was a mere Rs 167 crore in 2019-20, Rs 104 crore in 2020-21, Rs 61 crore in 2021-22, Rs 27 crore in 2022-23, Rs 14 crore in 2023-24 crore and Rs 10 crore (approximately) in 2024-25. The Sachar Committee (2006) had spoken about the poor conditions of Muslims in India and had said that at least Rs 12000 crore would have been earned if the Waqf properties were managed properly. More than 19 years have passed but nothing has happened. The vested interests running the Waqf properties do not wish to change.

The entire country must have been shocked when Union minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Kiran Rijiju explained how the notification by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in March 2014 gave away 123 properties to the Delhi Waqf Board. Some of these properties included the CGO complex, the Airport and the Indian Parliament building.

When the situation becomes ridiculous, such an amendment is a must. Modi should be complemented for taking the bold decision by stopping the notification that was brought to woo the minority community during the crucial Lok Sabha elections of 2014. The Umeed Act would rectify the anomalies and make Waqf management more efficient and accountable.

Those who try to take sides on Waqf amendment on religious ground should know that Waqf properties are managed by the Mutwalis who is not a religious leader but holds a secular post as manager of these properties for the benefits of followers of Islam. Also, Waqf Boards are not representatives of the Muslim community but a mere management proposition to benefit the poor among the Muslims.

What is the big deal if better management is advocated. Having compulsory membership of women and also a few from non-Muslims should not be an issue. There is also provision for having membership from all sects of Muslim community such as Shias and Ahmediyas and representatives from the backward classes from the Muslim community. Former judges and experts in the Boards would make the management more transparent and accountable. The new provision is more egalitarian and democratic.

The Modi government has taken the bold decision to bring the law of limitation of 1963 in the Waqf Actions that was not governed by the limitation law so crucial for any claim. It would look ridiculous if Waqf claims a property of the Mughal times as Waqf property simply because this was not notified in the government records. And no sane person in this country would say that the decision taken by the Waqf Tribunal should be final. It must have an ingrained provision for appeal and not through any circuitous route.

There are various provisions which only a visionary leader can take. If something is wrong that must be rectified. Logic and not emotions should govern the actions of the government. If the new Act can stop illegal and arbitrary capture of properties and declare these as waqf properties, this would do a long way in giving justice to people across the religious divide. If better management of these properties can give more money for the benefits of the community it should be welcomed.

Even members of the Muslim community would realize that the new provisions would lead to their betterment and expose vested interests who have been trying to manipulate for their own personal interests. Reports suggest that many Muslim organizations and leaders have supported the government's efforts in their depositions before the Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Leaders are those who have a vision for the future. The issue is whether the country would be governed by individual religious laws or the secular law of the country. Are we talking like an Indian or as a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian? What is good for India cannot be bad for anyone. As society grows it must embrace modern values. Personal beliefs and interests cannot come in the way of empowerment of the constitution and the country.

Modi is doing just that. Something very few could have dared- separating secular from the personal. Umeed Act will be hope for millions of Muslims who suffer in darkness since certain issues are shoved down their heart by self-acclaimed spokespersons of the community in the garb of religion.