Congress,NCP square off over Wakf Board

The arrest of Wakf Board CEO N D Pathan for alleged bribery has snowballed into a political fight between allies Congress and NCP. He was recently caught accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 for extending land lease of a man. NCP has demanded a CBI probe into the case. It has also questioned the delay in tabling the A T Shaikh report by the minority development department controlled by Congress.

The state government had instituted an inquiry by Shaikh in 2008 into illegal Wakf land dealings between 2002 and 2006. There are allegations a lot of Wakf land was sold in this period for pecuniary benefits by bureaucrats and politicians. The report was submitted to the government in 2011.

“The government is not tabling the Shaikh report. Who is the government shielding?” NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said. He alleged Pathan and other officials accused of corruption were being shielded.

“In 2011,a complaint was filed against Pathan and the ministry of minority affairs asked the state to look into the matter. The state not only not probe the matter but also extended the tenure of Pathan,” Malik said.