The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday (August 8) alleged that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is just an excuse to sell land in the interest of BJP members.
Yadav accused the BJP of working like a real estate party and suggested that the saffron party should rename itself to the “Bharatiya Zameen Party,” reported the Press Trust of India.
“The target is to sell defence, railway, Nazul land. Waqf board lands are just another link in the chain of ‘schemes for the benefit of BJP members’ after defence land, railway land, Nazul land. Why doesn’t the BJP openly write: ‘Issued in the interest of BJP members’. A guarantee should be provided in writing that Waqf Board lands will not be sold,” Yadav posted on X.
Yadav has announced that the Samajwadi Party will be opposing the Bill.
The Bill seeks to enhance the efficiency of the administration and management of waqf properties and ensure that the inheritance rights of women are not denied. It crucially omits section 40, which relates to the powers of waqf boards to decide if a property is a waqf property. It also makes the district collector the arbitrator in determining whether a government property is a waqf property.
While the Bill was tabled, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had said that the government is open to discussion and was subsequently sent to a joint parliamentary committee after Opposition members raised protests. Speaker Om Birla said that he would form the committee and include members from both the treasury and Opposition benches.