Letters from hundreds of Muslim widows triggered waqf reforms, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre took up the task of reforming the management of waqf properties after receiving letters from hundreds of Muslim widows.
Had waqf assets been managed properly, young Muslim men wouldn't have been forced to make a living by repairing "bicycle punctures", he said.
The PM's statement came at a rally in Hisar, Haryana, even as violent protests rocked West Bengal, leading to the deployment of central forces.
Modi's remarks come less than a week after the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, came into force. The government notified the law on April 8, after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the proposed law on April 5. The Parliament passed it on April 4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that letters from hundreds of Muslim widows led the Centre to take up the task of reforming the management of waqf properties. He said had waqf assets been managed well, Muslim youths "wouldn't have been fixing punctures of bicycle tyres" to eke out a living.
Addressing a rally in Hisar, PM Modi said waqf properties had been misused for decades, benefiting land mafia, instead of poor Muslims.
"It was only after hundreds of widowed Muslim women wrote to the Government of India that the issue was even discussed, and eventually, the law was changed," said PM Modi.
"Now, the exploitation of the poor is finally going to stop. Had that money been used honestly from the beginning, my young Muslim youth wouldn’t have had to spend their lives repairing bicycle punctures".
Narendra Modi's remarks revealed that the complaints over land being claimed as waqf property were not only from non-Muslims but also from poor Muslims.
Two people were hacked to death by a mob, while another person sustained injuries in West Bengal's Murshidabad amid fresh violence on Saturday, a day after widespread unrest during protests against the Waqf Amendment Act.
Over 110 people have been arrested so far, with police raids continuing across multiple locations.
Amid the violent protests, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Waqf Amendment Act will not be enforced in the state, while the BJP has targeted the Trinamool Congress over the violence, also holding counter-protests.
In a separate incident, one person who sustained bullet injuries on Friday in the Samserganj area, succumbed to injuries. Police officials said their personnel were unlikely to be involved in the firing, suggesting that it “could possibly have come from the BSF,” as central forces had been deployed in the area to control the unrest.
So far, 118 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, and the number is expected to rise as raids continue, said Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Jawed Shamim. He urged people not to believe rumours circulating on social media and to maintain peace.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also appealed for calm and reiterated that the Act would not be implemented in West Bengal. She said the law was enacted by the Centre, and that questions should be directed to them.
POOR MUSLIMS WILL BENEFIT FROM NEW WAQF LAW: PM
"According to the new Waqf law, land or property owned by any Adivasi cannot be appropriated by the Waqf Board. Poor and Pasmanda Muslims will benefit," he said.
These remarks came as PM Modi marked Ambedkar Jayanti by laying the foundation of the Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar, Haryana, and inaugurating the first flight to Ayodhya.
Modi also attacked Congress leaders, calling them "vote bank hungry politicians." He questioned why Congress had never appointed a Muslim as its party chief.
"If you truly have even a little sympathy for Muslims in your heart, then why doesn't the Congress party make a Muslim the party president? Why don't they do it?" he asked.
He even called Congress a destroyer of the Constitution.
"The Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution.
"Dr BR Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality, but the Congress spread the virus of vote-bank politics. Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward person to be able to live with dignity, to hold their head high, to have dreams, and to fulfill them," Modi said.
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