The BJP-Sena-Maha Yuti government in Maharashtra  has decided to give Rs 2 crore to the Waqf Board for the welfare of minorities, a move that has been opposed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

Upendra Bharti | HENB | Mumbai | June 15, 2024:: Even after a huge set back in the Lok Sabha election result for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due a stern rejection from Muslim community with certain other factors, the BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra has decided to clinch upon the Muslim appeasement policy once again.  

Now, the Maharashtra government has decided to give Rs 2 crore to the Waqf Board for the welfare of minorities, a move that has been opposed by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

According to a government resolution from the Minority Development Department dated June 10, the Waqf Board will receive Rs 2 crore from the Rs 10 crore budgeted for minority welfare for the financial year 2024-25. This circular was issued by Moin Tashlidar, Deputy Secretary in the Maharashtra government.

The Konkan division secretary of the VHP, Mohan Salekar, told India Today that they are against the state government’s decision to allocate funds to the Waqf Board.

“Maha Yuti government  was doing what even the Congress government did not do. Appeasement of the religious community. If this decision is not reversed, Maha Yuti parties  (i.e. the alliance of BJP, Siva Sena -Shinde and NCP- Ajit Pawar) will have to face the wrath of Hindus in the upcoming elections to local bodies and the assembly.”

The current allocation is the result of the joint parliamentary committee on Waqf constituted in 2007. The committee inspected the functioning of the Maharashtra State Waqf Board and its properties. Following this visit, the then chief minister promised grants to the board, after which budget allocations were made.

International Sufi Caravan chief Mufti Manzur Ziyaee, meanwhile, said, “We are happy that the government has approved 20 per cent of the money allocated for the welfare of minorities to the Waqf Board. The funds can now be used for betterment of the community. The decision should not be seen through a political lens, as the funds were already earmarked for this purpose before elections.”

Reacting to the protest by VHP, Shiv Sena UBT MP, Sanjay Raut said, “They can protest. Who has stopped them? They have brought this government.”

Various Hindu organisations in Maharashtra strongly opposed the Rupees 2 Cr allocation to the Waqf Board without giving any amount to any Hindu religious body in state. These Hindu organisations also opposed the Government Control on Hindu temples from where government authorities usurp huge temple donations and utilize those on the welfare of non-Hindu communities.

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__Inputs from India Today.