Hyderabad: In the backdrop of TTD having barred 18 non-Hindu employees from participating in any religious functions, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Wednesday evening described it is “hypocrisy in broad daylight’.
A memo issued recently by the TTD Executive Officer (EO) directed the non-Hindu employees not to participate in any religious programmes of the TTD.
Taking to micro-blogging platform ‘X’, Owaisi said, “The relevant sections of the AP Hindu Endowments Act are section 3(2) [Commissioner or below cannot be a non-Hindu], section 12 [Inspector must be a Hindu], section 19(1)(j) [Trustee can be removed if they aren’t Hindu], section 28 [a trustee can be removed if they are not Hindu], Section 29 [executive officer must be a Hindu]. Section 96(2) disqualifies a Trustee if he isn’t a Hindu.
"Now, TTD does not even want non-Hindu employees. But Waqf should not only compulsorily have non-Muslims, but they can be the majority of members," he pointed out.
TTD argued that since it is a Hindu institution, non-Hindus shouldn’t be employed by it, he said, "we have no objection to it. But @ncbn (AP CM Chandrababu Naidu) should explain why his party supported BJP’s Waqf Bill in the Joint Working Committee, he questioned.
The Bill mandates a minimum of two non-Muslims in Central Waqf Council (CWC) and State Waqf Board. The Bill also removes the requirement that the Council and the Board should have a majority of Muslims, said Owaisi.
Take a look at the AP Hindu Endowments Act: a Trustee cannot be a non-Hindu; no Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner, etc, can be a non-Hindu; even the inspector under Section 12 cannot be a non-Hindu. The Act under section 96 says the same thing about TTD, he said.
Now what is the Waqf Bill doing? Non-Muslims cannot dedicate waqf - BUT at least TWO members of MUSLIM CWC and MUSLIM Waqf Boards should be non-Muslim. A majority of CWC or Waqf Boards can be non-Muslim, he said.
Earlier these members were elected, they will now be nominated by the government and the government is very capable of having a non-Muslim majority CWC / Board. Why such hatred against democratic elections, the MIM chief questioned.
"If only Hindus should govern Hindu Endowments, and only Hindus should be employees. Then why this discrimination against Muslim Waqfs? @ncbn, he tweeted.
