Several social media users have recently claimed the Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh has abolished Waqf Board. The claims have gone viral in the backdrop of the contentious Waqf Bill introduced by the BJP government, which proposes more than 40 amendments to the Waqf Act.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) posted the viral claim, re-tweeting a Times Now video report on the ‘dissolution’ of the Waqf Board, which terms it a ‘stealth strike’ by Chandrababu Naidu. (Archive)
Andhra Pradesh government strikes down the Waqf Board. There is no provision in the Constitution, which supports the existence of one in a secular India. pic.twitter.com/5ybwGTRRKp
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 1, 2024
Verified X account The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) also posted the viral claim. At the time of this article being written, the post has gathered a staggering 10 Lakh views, besides being re-tweeted some 10,000 times. It has since then been deleted. (Archive)
Alt News has, several times in the past, fact-checked and debunked false claims by this X account.
BJP member Tripurari Kumar Tiwari alias Manish Kashyap (@ManishKasyapsob) alleged the same in a tweet. He wrote that the existence of a Waqf Board was unconstitutional in a secular country like India. (Archive)
Andhra Pradesh government strikes down the Waqf Board. There is no provision in the Constitution, which supports the existence of one in a secular India.@PawanKalyan @ncbn pic.twitter.com/TNBfd4TzaV
— Manish Kasyap Son Of Bihar (@ManishKasyapsob) December 1, 2024
Verified X user Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) also shared the viral claim. At the time of this article being written, this post has accumulated around 2.7 Lakh views, and has been re-shared almost 2,500 times. (Archive)
Note that Alt News has fact-checked and called out false claims by Rishi Bagree on several occasions.
Congress thought that Secular allies would tone down the Hindutva quotient of Modi Govt 3.0
Pawan Kalyan and Chandrababu came out of syllabus
pic.twitter.com/qDRKF5aLy1
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) December 1, 2024
X verified user (@ocjain4) also sharedd the viral claim, with a caption in Hindi. This has also seen a lot of traction, with over 1 Lakh views, and close to 2,000 re-tweets. (Archive)
बड़ी खबर
वक्फ कब्ज़ा’ पर चल रही बहस के बीच, रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया है कि आंध्र प्रदेश सरकार ने वक्फ बोर्ड को भंग कर दिया है।
चंद्रबाबू और पवन कल्याण ने यह किया है!! pic.twitter.com/19XvYEMMif
— ocean jain (@ocjain4) December 1, 2024
The viral claim was shared by several other X users. (Archives- 1, 2, 3)
Click to view slideshow.Fact Check
Alt News ran a keyword search on Google, which led us to this news report by The Economic Times.
The report clearly mentions that the Andhra Pradesh government revoked a previous government order (GO) issued on October 21, 2023, for the purpose of maintaining good governance, protecting Waqf properties, and ensuring the smooth functioning of the Waqf Board. It also said that the earlier board, which had come into existence by dint of the previous GO, “had been non-functional for a long time and faced legal challenges.”
According to the report, the GO No. 75 (pic below), which sparked off the viral claims upon its release on November 30, mentions that the chief executive officer of the state Waqf Board had brought to the government’s attention the prolonged non-functioning of the 11-member Board formed under the YSR Congress. The coalition government in power, thus aims to address the vacuum in the functioning of the Waqf Board, by introducing a new GO that withdraws the previous one, issued in October 2023.
Another report, by India TV, reiterates that the new government order is expected to provide a legal framework for the reconstitution of the Waqf Board, with a focus on proper governance and transparency. It is thus evident that the Waqf Board has not been permanently dissolved in the state of Andhra Pradesh, contrary to the claims on social media. It also quotes the Andhra Pradesh minister for law and minority welfare, Mohammed Farooq, as clarifying that “The government will take all necessary steps to protect and manage Wakf properties transparently and effectively. The welfare of minorities is a top priority for the current government.”
Journalist Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) shared a clarification on X, calling attention to the fact that new members would be added to a newly constituted Waqf Board in Andhra Pradesh, following the disbandment of the previous one, which was riddled with organisational deficiencies. She also states in her caption that ‘The NDA (TDP, JSP, BJP) government has not abolished the board.’ (Archive)
Lot of misinformation going around about Andhra Pradesh Waqf board. The NDA (TDP, JSP, BJP) government has not abolished the board.
It has only withdrawn a GO from 2023 that appointed members.
New members to Andhra Waqf board to be appointed soon pic.twitter.com/hJGbIiaVSV— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) December 1, 2024
Moreover, the official fact-checking unit of the Andhra Pradesh government issued a notice of clarification in reply to Amit Malviya’s tweet. It clearly states that the previous GO had to be withdrawn through the new order released on November 30, citing challenges to its validity, and including ‘…the absence of adequate representation from Sunni and Shia scholars, the non-inclusion of former MPs, the appointment of junior advocates without transparent criteria, questions surrounding the eligibility of certain members, and the inability to elect a chairman owing to ongoing litigation.’ (Archive)
The Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has remained non-functional since March 2023, leading to a period of administrative stagnation. The withdrawal of G.O. Ms. No. 47 became imperative due to several substantive concerns. These include 13 writ petitions challenging its validity, the… https://t.co/0yXCvIdK4q
— FactCheck.AP.Gov.in (@FactCheckAPGov) December 1, 2024
To sum up, the social media claim that the Andhra Pradesh government has permanently done away with the Waqf Board is misleading. The state government has issued an order that withdraws a previous order made under the YSRCP, and has made promises of constituting a functional Waqf Board at the earliest.
The post No, Chandrababu govt has not abolished Waqf in Andhra; it only revoked a YSRCP-regime order appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
Prantik Ali | Radio Free (2024-12-04T17:26:40+00:00) No, Chandrababu govt has not abolished Waqf in Andhra; it only revoked a YSRCP-regime order. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2024/12/04/no-chandrababu-govt-has-not-abolished-waqf-in-andhra-it-only-revoked-a-ysrcp-regime-order/
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