New Delhi [India], April 16 (ANI): Amid chaos over the passage of the Waqf Amendment Act, Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday dismissed the opposition's claims that the government would 'snatch' properties under the Waqf boards, asserting that the country was governed by the constitution and rule of law.

Calling out the 'false news and unverified claims' about the Waqf Act, Rijiju said that it was the responsibility of the government to keep a check on the 'irregularities'. He added that the provision in the Act doesn't 'harm' the Muslim community.

'Muslims are also Indians. Shouldn't we think about the Muslim community? How can we leave aside one community and let all the irregularities keep on happening unchecked?... We are the government of India. We have the responsibility to ensure that every citizen is taken care of and every community is looked after. The people who are spreading this false news, unverified claims that the mosques, the dargahs, and the kabaristan are going to be snatched away by the government. This country rules through law. The Constitution governs us. How can anybody snatch somebody's property like that?' Rijiju said in an exclusive interview with ANI.

The Union Minister also said that the power to decide on Waqf property disputes was not with the central government but with the state government. Rijiju said that the central government was merely forming a central Waqf council, but the claims and counterclaims would be decided by the District Magistrate, who operates under the state government.

'If there are some kind of issues which are not settled, then the state government will decide. So, the power is not with the central government. The central government is just forming a central Waqf council, which the minister heads. In this case, me. So all this, whether it is to be claimed, reclaimed, or counterclaimed by the state government, will be decided by the state government. The DM is under the state government,' he added.

When asked about the effects of the Waqf Amendment Bill, now an Act, in the northeastern states of India, Rijiju said that tribal states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim, were 'insulted' by its effect since a provision in the Act forbids the creation of Waqf on tribal lands.

'The creation of Waqf cannot be done on tribal land, which is any land that falls in the sixth and fifth schedule of the constitution. So it will not have an impact on the tribal areas. The fifth area is in other parts of the country, and the sixth schedule is in the northeast. The fifth schedule is for areas in other parts of the country, and the sixth schedule is for the northeast. Assam and Manipur will have an impact, but a positive one,' Rijiju said.

When asked about the fears within the tribal communities regarding the Waqf Act, the Union Minister said that the government introduced the amendment disallowing the creation of Waqf in tribal lands to deter instances of conversion and thus label tribal land as Waqf property.

'This is a very emotional issue for the Tribals. You very well know the Tribals are so much attached to Jal, Jungle, and Zameen. There are instances which have come before us of Muslim men marrying tribal women and then getting converted, and then finally creating that particular land owned by the lady as Waqf property. Once a Waqf property is dedicated, it can't be reversed. If the lands in tribal areas are declared as Waqf property, their status will change forever. This is why we had deliberately put this amendment in the parliament,' Rijiju said.

As many parties approach the Supreme Court to challenge the newly amended Waqf Act, Rijiju said that the tribal community would also appeal to the apex court to ensure that the protection given to them wasn't challenged. The Union Minister argued that the said amendment was aligned with the constitutional provisions, which grant protection to tribal lands and rights.

'Now, some people have challenged that provision also. So the tribal... will be raising their voice, and I believe that some of them will be appealing in the Supreme Court that any protection given to the tribal should not be challenged. Tribal lands and tribal rights are protected by the constitutional provisions. So it's not that we have just inserted at our whims and fancies. We have aligned with the constitutional provisions,' he added. (ANI)