The BJP leadership recently constituted a four-member coordination committee, headed by Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, for undertaking a countrywide campaign to create awareness among people, including Muslims, over the “benefits” of the contentious Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. The BJP's national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, Agrawal, 70, was also a member of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf legislation. In an interview with The Indian Express, Agrawal speaks on various issues related to the Waqf row as well as the BJP's awareness campaign over it. Excerpts: Q. What is the objective of the BJP's Waqf campaign? The objective is very clear. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants that poor must get their rights. The PM and the BJP believe that if Waqf properties had been maintained and used properly, their income generated transparently and utilised for poor Muslims, widows, divorced women, orphans and elderly, Muslims would have become a developed community without any government assistance. When a government politicises the matter, it says Muslims have the first right on resources, and then gets silent, does nothing and creates tension between Hindus and Muslims. Our government did not say that Muslims have the first right on the country's resources. Instead, it said the poor have the first right on resources. The Sachar Committee report presented in 2006 had said that Muslims are more backward socially and economically as compared to other communities in the country. When Modi ji said the poor have the first right on resources and when his government's welfare and development schemes were implemented on the ground transparently, Muslims benefited more. For example, Muslims, who make up 15% of the population, are 31% beneficiaries in PM Awas Yojana, 37% in Ujjawala scheme, 36% in Mudra loan scheme, etc. The representation of Muslims in central government jobs has increased from 5% to 9.5% . Our government silently did its job without creating Hindu-Muslim tension, and will do its job in future too. In comparison to Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, Muslims had one additional resource, of Waqfs, for their social and economic change. The Waqf Amendment Bill that the Modi government brought. we are only saying that those who have looted the Waqf properties, they have worked like bhu-mafia (land mafia), and majority of them are Muslim leaders, leaders of Congress, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), AIMIM, and Waqf mutawallis (caretakers) and members of the Waqf Boards. Waqf properties have increased from 4.5 lakh in 2006 to 8.72 lakh today and rakba (area) of Waqf properties increased from 6 lakh acre to 37.94 lakh acre. The annual income from these properties should have increased to one lakh crore rupees today but the actual generation of income has grown from Rs 163 crore to Rs 166 crore only. The issue is here. Those who have encroached upon Waqf properties, are telling Muslims that government will take possession of their mosques, dargahs, khanqahs, kabristans, etc. The reality is that the new Waqf law has provision that undisputed properties which were Waqf-by-user before the Act comes into effect, they will remain Waqf-by-user. The Congress brought amendments to the Waqf law in 1995 and 2013, giving so much powers to Waqf Boards that they can take any individual's property without informing him and district magistrate cannot hear that individual in the matter. He will have to approach the same Waqf Board which has taken his property. Tribunals too have Muslims only. Now, the land of a large number of Hindus have been encroached and there were only Muslims in the Waqf Board and Tribunals so far. Then there should be somebody to hear the Hindu side. Hence this provision has been made that there would be two non-Muslims (in the Waqf Boards). The final decision will still be by a majority. The decision of a majority will not change because of two members. So, only the discrepancies of old law have been removed and the law has been made more just. Q. Now, when the Supreme Court is hearing the petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, what is the need for this BJP campaign? This outreach is needed because of people like Owaisi and AIMPLB. Do you know who are the people who occupied the Waqf land in Karnataka?. In Owaisi's area (Hyderabad), hospitals on Waqf land were demolished and hotels were built.. BJP is running this campaign to expose them. All these facts have been given in a four-page pamphlet and a 16-page booklet that we have printed for distribution to every Muslim family. It is an awareness campaign to enable common Muslims understand the facts of the new Act. This campaign has no connection with Hindus. This campaign is to flag that the new law is entirely a pro-Muslim Act. Q. After the recent hearing in the apex court, is the BJP going to change any talking points in its campaign? I don't believe that the final judgment is going to be against the amended Waqf Act. Any impact on our awareness programme could be possible only when the final judgment comes. Q. In your awareness programme in Gujarat, some Muslims wearing the BJP's scarf attended it, who were said to be the party workers. Then, how is this campaign reaching out to common people belonging to the Muslim community? Two types of programmes have taken place – one is organisational and second involving the Muslim community. In Gujarat, a public meeting could not actually happen. It was a meeting of only BJP and minority morcha and so the Muslims there were from the BJP. In Rajasthan and Goa, Muslims in our meetings did not have any BJP symbol. We are reaching out to common Muslims. Meetings have already taken place in over 26 states. Now we will hold such programmes at district, mahanagar, Assembly constituency and mandal levels. In UP, I will also address a Muslim sabha. Teams have been formed in every mandal in every state and there is at least one Muslim in every team. Q. Is BJP involving NDA allies like JD(U), TDP, LJP(RV) and others in this outreach? Yes, We are involving them. In Goa, our ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) participated in it. We are hoping to have participation of allies in Bihar, where Anil Antony (BJP national secretary) will hold the event. Q. Has this campaign been planned following your NDA allies' concerns over losing Muslim votes? No one is worried. They all believe that when the public will be made aware of the reality and facts, see good works happening on the Waqf front, they will feel good that the loot of Waqf properties has stopped. We are getting positive response. Some people question during the meeting and I explain on every point.
