Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remark linking Muslim youth livelihoods to the alleged misuse of Waqf properties has triggered intense backlash from Opposition parties.
Speaking at the inauguration of an airport in Hisar, Haryana, the Prime Minister said that vast tracts of Waqf land were misused and monopolized by land mafias. He added, “If Waqf lands had been utilized sincerely, Muslim youths wouldn’t have to earn by fixing bicycle punctures,” claiming that the amended Waqf law would prevent such exploitation.
Responding sharply, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the BJP and its ideological wing, the RSS, of failing the country’s poor. “If RSS had used its ideology for national good, the PM wouldn’t have had to sell tea,” he said. Owaisi added that weak laws had always plagued Waqf management, and the new amendments further dilute protections.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi criticized the PM’s tone, calling it “language used by online trolls.” He argued that the current government had left youth — across communities — with no job prospects except menial work. He questioned BJP’s commitment to Muslims, citing the exclusion of Muslim leaders from power and representation.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also joined the attack, questioning the absence of tributes to Dr. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary and asking why BJP lacks a Dalit Chief Minister.
PM Modi defended the Waqf law changes as a blow to appeasement politics and a step toward transparency.
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