Guwahati:
Amid ongoing protests by the Congress and Trinamool Congress against the amended Waqf law in Bengal, the Tripura unit of the ruling BJP has announced a statewide counter-campaign to raise public awareness, especially among the minority Muslim communities.
The campaign, titled “Waqf Sudhar Janjagran Abhiyan” — set to start from April 20 — aims to highlight the “revolutionary” reforms brought by the NDA government at the Centre through the Waqf Amendment Act.
The announcement was made by BJP national secretary Anil K Antony during a party workshop in Agartala today.
The session was attended by top state BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, former Chief Minister and MP Biplab Kumar Deb, and state BJP president and MP Rajib Bhattacharjee.
Mr Antony emphasised that the new law is aimed at promoting religious justice, transparency, and the economic upliftment of poor and marginalized Muslims through the better utilisation of Waqf properties – which, as per the Sachar Committee Report, in 2006 constitute the largest private land bank in the world.
He pointed out that in 2006, the Waqf Board owned over 37 lakh acres of land, valued at around Rs 10 lakh crore. While it had the potential to generate Rs 12,000 crore annually, the actual registered income was only Rs 160 crore.
He alleged that the Waqf Boards had become dens of corruption and mismanagement, failing the very communities they were meant to serve.
“It took the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring the much-needed reforms to ensure transparency, accountability, and modernisation of the Waqf Boards,” Mr Antony said.
He asserted that under the new law, within the next six months, all Waqf properties across India must be registered, and the income generated will be redirected towards the welfare of poor Muslim families, women, and orphans. Additionally, the new provisions allow even marginalised Muslims to form their own Waqf Boards.
The BJP leaders slammed the Congress and Trinamool for allegedly misleading the Muslim community for political gain.
They said through Waqf Sudhar Janjagran Abhiyan, BJP workers will reach out to madrasa students, women, and youth in minority-dominated areas to explain the benefits and necessity of the law.
“The Opposition is deliberately spreading misconceptions. Our campaign will focus on dispelling these lies and bringing the truth to the people,” Antony added.
The party leadership reiterated that the Act is not just about reforms, but a long-overdue corrective measure to empower the poor and marginalised sections of the Muslim community in a transparent and accountable framework.
