Union home minister Amit Shah has included the waqf board issue into Jharkhand’s political narrative.

Addressing a rally for the Baghmara seat, Amit Shah made a scathing remark on the waqf board accusing it of land grabbing and asserting the need for changes in the body.

Shah further emphasised that the BJP was committed to amending the Waqf Act, despite opposition from political rivals.

Shah claimed that the waqf board had been responsible for illegally acquiring land in various states, including Karnataka. He cited cases of land parcels being seized from farmers, temples and villagers.

“The waqf board has a history of grabbing land,” Shah said, adding that it was time to bring about reforms to stop such practices. “Tell me, do we need to make changes to the waqf board or not?” he asked the gathering.

“Hemant babu and Rahul baba say no. Let them oppose it; the BJP will pass the Bill to amend the Waqf Act. No one can stop us,” he declared.

Shah’s rally also saw him reiterate his firm stance on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Shah vowed to block any efforts to extend reservation to Muslims and said, “As long as there’s even one BJP MLA, we won’t allow reservations for Muslims.”

Jharkhand will go to polls in two phases on November 13 and 20 with the results to be declared on November 23.