Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 11 (ANI): Following the implementation of the Waqf Amendment Act, Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board Chairman Sanwar Patel on Friday expressed plans for the board's future, stating that they identified around 2000 people who occupied Waqf properties and would be served notices soon.

He also highlighted that they would ask them to vacate the property or become legal tenants in the notice; otherwise, according to the new law, action would be taken against them.

'Now that the law has come, work will also be done. We have all geared up, and the state board has begun its work on it. Out of 15,008 waqf properties in the state, most of them are occupied. We have identified 2000 people and are going to serve them notices soon. We will ask them in the notice to either vacate the property or become a legal tenant. If one fails to act upon both the options, then action will be taken according to the new law,' Patel told ANI.

He emphasised that they would seek help from the government and the administration to remove the occupancy. Patel also accused Congressmen of occupying the waft properties.

'As far as possession of Waqf properties is concerned, most of the people who have occupied it belong to Congress. Even their (Congress) national president has been accused of occupying waqf properties. AIMIM chief Owaisi, too, has been accused of occupying. Many Congress leaders and their family members have been accused of occupying the Waqf properties. They (Congress) are protesting to save themselves. Of the RRCs (Revenue Recovery Certificate) that we have issued in Madhya Pradesh, the biggest RRC to date is against Riyaz Khan of Rs 7.11 crore, and he is a Congress leader,' Patel said.

'Similarly, when the list of 2000 people will come, you will see that most of them will be Congress leaders,' he added.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Swadesh Sharma called the Waqf Amendment Act an agenda to play the politics of division, and they are working for the same purpose.

'BJP had given a slogan of 'Abki baar, 400 paar' (400 seats in Lok Sabha election) and there was only one motive behind it that as airport, railway stations and government organisation sold to their favourite industrialists, similarly to bring a law for land which was donate to waqf or others aiming to provide those lands to their industrialist friends. These lands (waqf properties) are lands which was donated by people, and the government does not have the right to give them to anyone. They do it to help the poor, but this government brings such an agenda for only doing the politics of division, and they are working on the same purpose,' Congress leader Swadesh Sharma said.

Additionally, a huge number of people under the banner of Madhya Pradesh Muslim Tyohar Committee also held a protest near Iqbal Maidan in the state capital over the Waqf Amendment Act and demanded to withdraw the act.

The protestors sought permission to stage a protest in the Iqbal Maidan, but they failed to get it, so they marked their demonstration at a space near the Maidan. Heavy force was deployed on the ground in view of the protest.

The protesters said that even though they did not get permission, they would continue their protest. They would also knock on the doors of the Supreme Court and file a separate petition against the act. (ANI)