"It's voice of the voiceless" BJP's Pradeep Bhandari on Waqf Amendment Bill

Speaking with ANI, Pradeep Bhandari lashed out at the opposition for criticising the amendment bill.

"The Waqf Amendment Bill is a constitutional necessity and it is the voice of the voiceless belonging to every community...Those who call it illegal are the same people who amended it in 2013. Those who call it illegal are the same people who got it in 1995. The country has chosen Prime Minister Modi's 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and rejected appeasement," Bhandari said.

Karnataka Deputy Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Arvind Bellad affirmed that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a huge reform to the Waqf bill which has "created a huge havoc."

Speaking with ANI, Arvinde Bellad said, "Waqf Amendment is a huge reform. It (Waqf Bill) has created a huge havoc, not only among Hindus but also Muslims. So, it has draconian powers. It has power which are beyond Constitution."

Stressing the need of amendments, Bellad said that BJP is rightfully amending the law.

"I think that particular law needs major amendments and rightfully so our party, our BJP Government is amending the law," he said.

Meanwhile, The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has called for the amendments to Waqf Act over land dispute in Kerala and urged political parties and legislators to adopt an unbiased and constructive approach to land issues, including Munambam in Kerala.

The CBCI has said that certain provisions in the existing Central Waqf Act are inconsistent with the Constitution and the Waqf Board in Kerala has invoked these provisions to declare the ancestral residential properties of more than 600 families in the Munambam region as Waqf land.

In a statement released on Monday, the CBCI said that over past three years, this issue has escalated into a complex legal dispute.

It added that only a legal amendment can provide a permanent solution, and this must be recognized by the people's representatives.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also called the 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill', aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. (ANI)