07-18-2005, 06:46 PM
<b>BJP wants Waqf Board scrapped</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->He charged the Waqf Board with lending a religious colour to historic heritage like Taj Mahal and claiming it as Waqf property saying it was a challenge to Indian Constitution, law and order and democratic structure which âif not taken seriously, could lead to serious consequences in the coming daysâ.
âIf mosques, burial grounds and places where namaz is offered become the criteria for Waqf property, then perhaps 90 per cent of important buildings would have to be handed over to Waqf Boardsâ, he said in the letter, copy of which was released to the media.
âThere is an imminent need to discuss the relevance and necessity in a secular country of institutions like the Waqf Boards which cannot pay their employees, maintain their assets and are mired in controversyâ, said Naqvi, a former chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on the functioning of Waqf Boards in the country<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
âIf mosques, burial grounds and places where namaz is offered become the criteria for Waqf property, then perhaps 90 per cent of important buildings would have to be handed over to Waqf Boardsâ, he said in the letter, copy of which was released to the media.
âThere is an imminent need to discuss the relevance and necessity in a secular country of institutions like the Waqf Boards which cannot pay their employees, maintain their assets and are mired in controversyâ, said Naqvi, a former chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on the functioning of Waqf Boards in the country<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->