Where did 21 lakh acres of land come from in 11 years?

The Waqf Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha. After this, now BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal has raised the question that by 1913-2013 Waqf had 70 lakh acres of land and 21 lakh acres of land has increased in 11 years i.e. 2013-2024. We have not heard about the donation of land by anyone. Then where did this 21 lakh acres of land come from?

Discussion on Waqf Amendment Bill

During the debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, BJP Lok Sabha MP from West Champaran Sanjay Jaiswal strongly sarcasted the opposition. He said that when Jawaharlal Nehru made this bill, no one remembered why this law is being made. The MP questioned how the Waqf property increased by 21 lakh acres in 11 years? Referring to Jawaharlal Nehru, the BJP MP said that till 1995 there was no problem with the law and as the Home Minister said, no one had any problem, but a new change took place in 2013. The Home Minister said that till 1913-2013 there was 70 lakh acres of land and in 2013-2024, 21 lakh acres have increased.

Questions raised about Waqf land

MP Sanjay Jaiswal also supported the statement of Home Minister Amit Shah. He said that as the Home Minister said, there has been a new change in Waqf since 2013. The Home Minister said that till 1913-2013, the Waqf Board had 70 lakh acres of land and has increased by 21 lakh acres in 2013-2024. We never heard anyone donating land. We have never heard of giving a large property to a rich Muslim as a Waqf, so where did this 21 lakh acres come from? MP Sanjay Jaiswal targeted the opposition strongly. He said that the problem of the opposition is that by 2029, the income from Waqf will be more than 10,000 crores and the public will question our opposition party MPs that in 70 years you did not contribute even Rs 5 from Waqf’s property. How did Modiji show that he helped thousands of crores of people using the same Waqf property?

What is the Waqf Amendment Bill?

The Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 was introduced in the Indian Lok Sabha on 8 August 2024. The bill proposes to cancel the Muslim Waqf Act, 1923 and amend the Waqf Act, 1995. Waqf properties are managed under this law, where according to the Muslim law, Waqf is considered to be the real estate donated for religious or charitable purposes. A Waqf Board is formed in each state for the management of Waqf. The bill proposes to make 44 amendments to the old law and the amended law has been named ‘Integrated Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995’.

India has the highest number of Waqf properties in the world. The biggest land here is with Indian Railways. After this it is with the army. After this, the third number comes from the Waqf Board. The Waqf Board has 8 lakh 70 thousand properties across the country. These properties are spread on 9 lakh 40 thousand acres of land. Its estimated cost is Rs 1.20 lakh crore.