Muslim Minorities’ Massive Dharna on Nov 21 Demanding Sub-Plan & Judicial Powers to Wakf Board

Hyderabad: Muslim Minorities comprising of representatives of all the political parties, intellectuals, professionals led by the Chairman of All India Muslim Minority Organisation Syed Muqtar Hussain, has decided to build the pressure on the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao for fulfilling the promises made to the Muslims since last seven years.

These promises have not been fulfilled yet and against this, they have decided to organize massive dharna on November 21 at Dharna Chowk demanding judicial powers to Wakf Board to protect the Wakf lands and sub-plan to the Minorities on par with SC and STs.

The leaders of Muslims who has participated in the round table conference has pointed that the Chief Minister has made several promises to the Minorities and came to power, such as providing 12 per cent reservations to Muslims on the other hand the Chief Minister has systematically reduced the powers of the Minorities.

They pointed out that Telangana is the only state where the Wakf Board has been locked, Urdu Academy has brought to nil, grabbing of wakf lands has gone up. Telangana is only state where the Muslim Minorities who are already in poverty has become more poor. 

Speaking as the Chief guest, Senior National leader of CPI Aziz Pasha said, in democracy, agitation is the only way to build the pressure on the government for solving their problems and bringing to the notice of the government of their problems, the Chief Minister who has come to power with their votes had given the jobs to his family members and sitting in the Pragathi Bhavan.

He does not meet with anybody, hence it is necessary for the people to come out on the roads and agitate. He said after the Dharna, they will decide the future course of action.

M.A. Siddiqui, EX-AP Minorities Commission Member, Mohd. Sanaullah Khan, Convenor, All India Muslim Minority Organization, Masood Ansari, S.K. Afzaluddin of Congress, Mohd Anwar Patel of TRS, Abrar Hussain of BSP, Dr. Lubna Sarwat social activists and several others has pointed out that the Chief Minister has promised to take wakf land where Lanco Hills has been constructed, he promised to give Judicial powers to Wakf Board, constitute Commissionerate, provide 12 per cent reservation to Muslims etc. all these promises has not been fulfilled.

After the inception of Telangana government, the chief Minister has appointed SK Sinha, Retd IAS officer to look into the issue of Wakf Board properties by forming a committee in the form of a Task Force Committee, who have visited the Wakf Board Office and had verified the records and analyzed some of the facts that there is an involvement of high authorities in the grabbing of Wakf Board properties.

However, the said Committee has not been submitted its detailed analytical report either to the Chief Minister or to the Wakf Board Authorities and it is pending since 3 years.

Apart from this in the Assembly, the Speaker has laid a Committee and advised to furnish the report on the issue of Wakf Board properties, within 3 months but the said committee has not submitted any report till today. Also, the government had not taken any serious action and not entrusted judicial powers to the Wakf Board.  G.O.s was released mentioning about the protection of Wakf properties. The then Secretary of Minority Welfare department Syed Umar Jaleel has issued direction to the district Collectors that in every District, Committee should be constituted with the District Committee, Collector as Chairman but no such committee has been formed since last 3 years.

There are 400 cases pending in Wakf Board and till now, not even a single affidavit is filed, Dargah Jahangir Peeran was granted 50 acres of land and an amount of Rs. 50 croes also has been sanctioned for its development, but till today no work has been started. The record section of Wakf Board was sealed, the reason for this not known till today. The Wakf Board has failed to take any action on Guttala Begumpet’s 80 acres of land worth crores of rupees.

There should be an investigation by the CBI on the issue of Wakf board properties. Construction of Rubat in Ajmer Sharif Dargah is also pending and the promise of 10 acres land to Islamic Center still pending. 

They demanded the Chief Minister to take possession of the Wakf properties from the illegal land grabbers, who are in possession illegally from long time and protect the Wakf Board properties of Telangana State worth of lakhs of crores of rupees, judicial powers to the Telangana Wakf Board to take necessary orders in the welfare of Minorities.