Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Apr 19 (PTI) The ruling BJP in Odisha on Saturday announced district-level awareness seminars on April 22 and 23 to address concerns over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, as protests by Muslims intensify across the state demanding withdrawal of the legislation.

The Odisha BJP organised a workshop under the banner of the ‘Waqf Reform Public Awareness Campaign’ and laid out plans to raise awareness about the Act.

Addressing the workshop, BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam said the party would reach out to the public to explain that the Waqf legislation is not against Muslims, but intended for the welfare of the community.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a historic step towards ensuring transparency, accountability and justice in this system through the Waqf Amendment Act. The property of the Waqf Board are meant for religious, social and educational purposes but unfortunately, during the tenure of the previous Congress government, there was a lot of misuse and corruption of Waqf assets,” Gautam told reporters here.

He claimed that the property of many innocent people were looted by declaring them as Waqf wrongly.

“Now times have changed and the poor will get their rights,” he said adding that amendment in the Waqf Bill was necessary for balanced nation building.

Gautam further said that the amended Act would prevent the misappropriation of Waqf property.

“Poor and women of the Muslim community will benefit from the amended Waqf Act,” he said, alleging that the Congress’ claims — that the Muslim community would suffer under the new law — were “completely baseless and misleading.” “Therefore, public awareness is necessary—from the Centre to the state and mandal levels—to make people aware of the amended Waqf Act,” he added.

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said the party will also organise awareness programmes on Waqf legislation at the mandal levels on April 25.

Meanwhile, the members of the Muslim community under the banner of Odisha Sankhya Lagu Committee (Odisha Minority Committee) held a procession from Gandhi Bhavan to Collector’s office and Cuttack and demanded withdrawal of the legislation and termed it as “undemocratic”.

The protestors’ burnt effigies of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar Chief Ministers and Odisha’s Leader of Opposition accusing them of betraying the trust of Muslims.

“We have submitted a memorandum to the President of India through Cuttack collector and demanded withdrawl of Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025,” said Sami Salim, the president of the committee. PTI AAM AAM MNB