By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 13 Aug: PCC General Secretary Yakub Siddiqui has reacted sharply to the statement of the State Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams, who has alleged large scale corruption in respect of Waqf properties. Siddiqui today also opposed the demand for CBI Inquiry into all the Waqf properties, which has been made by Shams and, instead, demanded his resignation.
It may be recalled that Shams had on Saturday called on Union Minorities Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi and had demanded a CBI inquiry into all the Waqf properties across the country.
Siddiqui asserted that the Congress Party wants to ask the Waqf Board Chairman what work he has done for the development of the Board during his two-year tenure. He should share with the public information regarding the proposals passed in his tenure to destroy the properties of the Waqf Board. Siddiqui demanded that Shams should release a white paper in this regard.
The Congress General Secretary also claimed that the Waqf Board Chairman has also forgotten that the Waqf Board has been given rights under the Constitution of India. The Waqf Board has one Lok Sabha MP and two Assembly members as members and has its own powers. He claimed that such a statement by a person holding a position such as the chairman of a constitutional institution can create a constitutional crisis. He said that, if the current board chairman admits to corruption, then the Governor should take cognisance and intervene and dissolve the board and recommend a CBI inquiry.
Yaqub Siddiqui also said that constitutional institutions are being ridiculed under the BJP governments and their dignity is being lowered by making absurd statements about them. He said that the chairman is talking about corruption in the Waqf Board, but he should tell the public what steps he has taken to stop this corruption during his tenure. If he cannot curb corruption, then he should apologise for his anti-constitutional statements and resign from his post.
It may be recalled that, yesterday, speaking to Garhwal Post, Shams had shared his opinion about the level of corruption in respect of Waqf properties and had also sought to justify his demand for the CBI Inquiry into the Waqf properties.
