Majlis party deadlier than a poisonous snake: Bandi

Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar termed that the Majlis leaders are more dangerous than poisonous snakes and are looting Waqf properties by garnering the Muslim votes and not really working for the benefit the interests of the Muslims.

Addressing the media on Sunday, he said that Majlis are the big thieves who looted Waqf properties. He said the public meeting organised by the Majlis in Darussalam on Saturday was a Congress-sponsored programme. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s government was the ‘Karta, karma, and kriya, in organising it, by providing financial assistance. “All the big thieves who looted the Waqf properties and looted the Muslims attended the meeting together and tried to mislead the Muslim community,” he said.

Further, Majlis leaders are as dangerous as poisonous snakes pretending to love Muslims, but looting the Waqf properties and pushing them into slums, he warned.

The Union Minister said all he was asking the leaders opposing the Waqf Bill is, that as per the Central Waqf Council (CWC) report, “there are more than 8 lakh acres of Waqf properties in the country. Their value is more than Rs 10 lakh crore. The annual income of the Waqf properties should have been Rs 12,000 crore. “Aren’t you the ones who are squandering all that money and who occupied Waqf properties worth Rs 2000 crore in Tamil Nadu alone?”

He further charged that Waqf property thieves were also the ones who looted the lands of other religions, temples, and Gurudwaras in the name of Waqf. He questioned how Waqf could claim 1,500-year-old Chandrasekhara temple lands in Tamil Nadu; Gurudwara lands in Haryana; agricultural lands of Lingayats in Karnataka and lands of Christian fishermen in Kerala.

Turning his ire further, he alleged that there are 77,000 acres of Waqf lands in Telangana and asked if it is not true that 80 per cent of them are under occupation? Isn’t it true that the Owaisi family, along with the Majlis leaders and members of the so-called Waqf Board, have looted Waqf properties and built hospitals, educational institutions and business establishments and are doing business worth crores of rupees? On the other, not a single rupee was spent to improve the conditions of the poor Muslims in the Old City, he claimed.

He dared to come for a public debate on the utilisation of Waqf properties for the improvement of the Muslims and for their welfare. “When we are talking facts, they are talking nonsense, making baseless allegations of Hindu interference in the Waqf properties.” Should one sit back and watch whatever is done in the name of the Waqf board? He challenged CM Revanth Reddy’s government to conduct a probe into the Waqf lands and properties, who encroached and how much the Owaisi family looted. He further demanded the release of a whitepaper on how much has been spent so far for the welfare of the Muslims.

Turning to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s visit to Japan for investments, he said that when thousands of acres of crops are damaged due to untimely rains and hailstorms, and farmers are struggling, why is Chief Minister Revanth Reddy going abroad? He urged the ministers at least to be there and help the farmers.