{"id":296595,"date":"2025-04-04T17:20:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T11:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=296595"},"modified":"2025-04-04T17:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T11:50:36","slug":"waqf-board-did-not-stake-claim-on-maha-kumbh-mela-ground-yogi-adityanaths-claim-false","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/waqf-board-did-not-stake-claim-on-maha-kumbh-mela-ground-yogi-adityanaths-claim-false\/","title":{"rendered":"Waqf Board did not stake claim on Maha Kumbh Mela ground; Yogi Adityanath’s claim false"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rajya Sabha cleared the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the early hours of April 4 after a 14-hour long debate, paving the way for it to become a law after the President’s nod. The Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on April 3, has been a major point of contention between the BJP government and the Opposition.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on April 3 extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah on the bill’s passage and accused the Waqf board of behaving like a mafia. He claimed that even while arrangements were being made for the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, the Waqf Board had said that the land where it was being held belonged to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were making arrangements for the Maha Kumbh also, the Waqf Board had claimed that the land where the Kumbh was taking place in Prayagraj is Waqf land, forcing us to ask if the Waqf Board had turned into a land mafia,\u201d Yogi said in Hindi<\/a> addressing an event in Prayagraj.<\/p>\n

\n

#WATCH<\/a> | Prayagraj, UP | On the #WaqfAmendmentBill<\/a> passed in the Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says, “Some people did not want a ‘Pauranik’ place like Prayagraj to gain its identity because their vote bank was important for them… In the name of Waqf,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/WdfWsmQ9ry<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=O6T21q8mnAg?si=Mglk2uAsXZIfOY3G]<\/p>\n

Waqf refers to charitable or religious donations by Muslims for the community’s overall benefit. Under Islamic law and traditions, land, properties, assets, or wealth donated as waqf cannot be used for any other purpose, sold again, inherited or gifted. In 1954, Waqf Council and Boards were instituted at the centre and states, respectively, to better identify and manage Waqf properties. Over the years, many issues have come up owing to properties being allegedly declared as belonging to Waqf without enough documentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not tolerate the wild claims of the Waqf Board on lands at historical places,\u201d Yogi also said at the gathering, adding<\/a>, \u201cWe are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah for putting a check on the Waqf Board and doing welfare work by passing this important act in the Lok Sabha. Today, it will be passed in the Rajya Sabha as well.”<\/p>\n

We also found several news reports and videos from January 5, a week before the 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela commenced in Prayagraj, which said that the Waqf Board had claimed that the Kumbh Mela ground was Waqf property. Even then, Adityanath had called the Waqf Board land mafias.<\/p>\n

Between January 5 and 10, many articles, news segments on television and videos on social media had BJP leaders, including the UP chief minister, slamming the Waqf Board for claiming that the land where the Kumbh was going to be held fell under the Waqf Board. Here are some screenshots:<\/p>\n