Waqf Amendment Act will not be implemented in West Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Waqf Amendment Act will not be implemented in the state, reported PTI.

Addressing a gathering of the Jain community in Kolkata, Banerjee said she would protect minority communities and their properties.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The recent changes to the Waqf Act curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them. Among the provisions in the amendment are those about allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

“I know you are aggrieved because of the enactment of the Waqf Act,” the Trinamool Congress leader said on Wednesday. “Have faith, nothing will happen in Bengal by which one can divide and rule. You send out a message that all have to stay together.”

Referring to violence that broke out in Murshidabad district on Tuesday over the legislation, she said: “See the situation in the bordering areas of Bangladesh. This [Waqf Amendment Bill] should have not been passed now. We have 33 percent of minorities in Bengal. What will...

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