Amended Waqf law will protect tribal lands: Chhattisgarh CM
'Waqf board was introduced with the objective of upliftment of economically backward and downtrodden women from the Muslim community and Pasmanda Muslim. However, it did not happen.
He also hit out at the Congress accusing it of failing to introduce caste census despite being in power for 60 years.
Raipur, May 5 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has said the Waqf (Amendment) Act will not only benefit the deprived people belonging to the Muslim community but also protect the interests of tribal communities in the state by preventing land grabbing.
'The influential people from the Muslim community took the Waqf properties on lease and set up big malls. The rich kept on becoming richer but the poor did not get any benefit,' Sai said in an interview to PTI Videos.
He said that amending the Waqf law was one of the bold decisions of the prime minister.
'We would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, who has been taking many bold decisions. This is also one of them. With the introduction of the Act, their arbitrariness will definitely stop and the Waqf Board will work for the upliftment of the Pasmanda Muslims, the poor and the women,' he said.
'Chhattisgarh is a tribal-dominated state and the land of the tribals will also be protected here with this Amendment Act. The Waqf boards will not be able to cast their eyes on their (tribals') land either,' he added.
About Congress claims that the government is eyeing political gains with its move to include the caste survey in the next census, Sai called the opposition party a 'sinking ship' and said it has nothing to speak of.
'There is a huge difference between what Congress says and what it does. They have been demanding caste-based census since the Nehruvian era, but did nothing despite being in power for 55-60 years,' he said.
Praising PM Modi for the decision to include caste enumeration in the census, he said, 'The country is fortunate to have such a visionary PM who considers all 140 crore Indians as family and works day and night for their happiness and sorrows'.
With the motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' and 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', he has been working for everyone's development and winning everyone's trust, he said, adding that the country will benefit from caste census.
On April 30, the Centre announced that caste enumeration will be included in the next census exercise. PTI TKP VJ RT RT RT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
HC: Organised crime grave economic & security threat
Nagpur: Organised crime is not limited by borders and has a devastating impact on the country's economy and internal security by enabling terrorism , Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court observed while overturning a lower court order that denied police custody of a member of a crime syndicate. Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke, while granting seven-day police custody to Lalu Yadav , 33, under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), said, "organised crime is a serious threat to society and is fuelled by illegal wealth generated by contract killing, extortion, narcotics trade, ransom kidnappings, money laundering, and protection rackets." The court rejected the special MCOCA court's May 3 ruling, which denied police custody on the limited ground that the probe was focused on tracing bank accounts and property. Justice Joshi-Phalke said the special court failed to consider crucial aspects of the investigation, including the accused's ongoing role in a larger organised crime syndicate. "MCOCA can be invoked even if direct crime involvement is absent, but syndicate nexus is established," the judge said. "Black money generated by organised crime has had a serious adverse effect on our economy. These syndicates have made a common cause with terrorist gangs," the court said, while affirming that MCOCA empowers agencies to intercept communications and pursue complex networks that threaten national security. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The oldest stars whose fans don't even know they're still alive Reportingly Undo The court was hearing a revision plea filed by the state against the lower court's refusal to grant police custody. Yadav was arrested in a March 14 assault case registered in Yerla, Kalmeshwar, where he and a co-accused allegedly attacked a man with a sickle. Though the case was initially registered under Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), further investigation revealed a pattern of serious, repeat offences allegedly committed for pecuniary gain — prompting the application of MCOCA. The prosecution submitted that Yadav had at least nine criminal cases against him, with seven still pending. "He is a repeat offender operating for economic gain. His actions fit the definition of continuing unlawful activity under MCOCA," the state counsel contended, while urging custodial interrogation to investigate deeper links within the crime syndicate. The high court agreed, stressing that even if an individual may not have committed a particular act of organised crime directly, their nexus with a syndicate or with repeated unlawful acts could still justify invoking MCOCA. "A nexus with the crime syndicate is enough to attract the Act," Justice Joshi-Phalke said, citing Supreme Court's precedent in the Ranjitsing Brahmajeetsing Sharma case. She ruled that police must be given a fair opportunity to probe syndicate structures, pecuniary trails, and unlawful activities under the wider framework of MCOCA. "In light of the legislative intent, denial of custody would amount to frustrating the purpose of the law," the court said while quashing the lower court's orders.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Congress names 40 district, city unit chiefs for Gujarat
After a process that lasted more than two months and saw senior Congress leaders visit 26 Lok Sabha constituencies, 182 Assembly segments, and 235 Blocks, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Saturday appointed 40 chiefs of district and city units for Gujarat under the the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan' — a pilot project intended to empower the district units. The list saw only one woman leader, Sonal Patel, who will head the Ahmedabad City unit. Patel, a former vice president of the Congress Mahila Morcha was the candidate against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the 2024 LS polls from Gandhinagar constituency. She replaces former mayor and ex-MLA Himmatsinh Patel. 'Ahmedabad city president is a position that carries a lot of weight,' said a Congress leader. At least five of the DCC presidents were repeated — Rutvij Joshi (Vadodara city), Jashpalsinh Padhiyar (Vadodara district), Naushad Solanki (Surendranagar), Pratap Dudhat (Amreli), and Rajendrasinh Rana (Bharuch city). The party said the newly appointed DCC chiefs 'represent Gujarat's social and regional diversity and have been chosen for their grassroots connection, ideological clarity, and organisational ability'. At the AICC Session on April 9-10 in Gujarat, held in the state for the first time in about 60 years, district units were identified as key building blocks to build the Congress back-up. While this is a nationwide project, the Congress launched the pilot from Gujarat, a state where the party has been out of power now for 30 years and which is identified most closely with the BJP's rise post-Modi. The party on April 12 appointed 43 AICC and 183 PCC observers comprising senior leaders, including state in-charges, MPs, MLAs, and former PCC presidents, to oversee the appointments and make recommendations to the party high command. A statement issued on Saturday night by Congress general secretary in-charge (organisation) K C Venugopal said: 'The Abhiyan, launched to revitalise the party structure from booth to district level, focused on transparent, inclusive, and ideology-based leadership selection.' – With inputs from ENS Ahmedabad Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Left jobless, Karnataka bike-taxi captains urge govt to allow operations
Bengaluru: Rendered jobless and pushed to the brink, hundreds of bike-taxi captains took to the streets across the state Saturday, protesting the govt's continued indecision on legalising their operations. They demanded that the govt come up with a policy framework that would legalise bike taxis in the state. Not just have our livelihoods being snatched away because of the bike-taxi ban but also commuters, who are dependent on cheaper and faster travel options, have been put to hardship, they said while stating that they have no option but to stage protests against the govt, especially the transport dept which has cracked down on them. The affected captains include professionals who saw bike taxis as a means of livelihood and students who were earning pocket money by dropping off people. The captains took out protest rallies in Bengaluru, Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru and Shivamogga. They urged the govt to allow them to operate on the lines of autorickshaw drivers instead of buckling under pressure from the latter, who were wooed by Congress before coming to power. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo In Bengaluru, the captains were met with detention. Police foiled a planned gathering in front of Vidhana Soudha by dispersing them and detaining several protesters as a preventive measure. Deputy commissioner of police (Central) Akshay M Hakay said police had to act as it amounted to unlawful assembly. A bike-taxi captain from Tumakuru said, "We wanted to gather at Vidhana Soudha and appeal to the govt to frame a policy legalising bike taxis. But police didn't even allow us... We were in hundreds when we left Tumakuru, but most were stopped near the toll gate before entering Bengaluru. Very few managed to reach the city." Explaining the ordeals faced by them after the ban on bike taxis, a captain who identified himself as Rajkumar said: "For two years, I earned Rs 1,000-1,500 per day by riding my bike as a taxi in the traffic-choked city. It paid my rent, my child's school fees, and groceries. Today, I have nothing. We are not criminals. We're just asking for the right to work." The captains argue that the crackdown, triggered by the transport department's ban on bike taxis through aggregators like Rapido, Uber, and Ola from June 16 by citing court orders, was unjust, especially when no viable alternatives have been provided. Over 100 bikes have already been seized by the department in the ongoing crackdown. The bike-taxi captains said they're willing to play by the rules — using yellow-board bikes, wearing uniforms, and collecting govt-fixed fares. But in return, they want a legal pathway to operate. "We're ready to follow all regulations. Just let us work," said Manu, another captain from Ramanagara. "After the ban, they shifted us to parcel deliveries. We earn Rs 30 per parcel. That's not a livelihood, that's humiliation," he added. What angers the captains the most is the silence of the govt, especially the transport department. They alleged that the crackdown is being carried out under pressure from autorickshaw and cab driver unions. A captain added: "We've sent many appeals to elected leaders including transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, but there's been no positive response."
