On 26th April 2023, the Union Minister Of Women & Child Development, Minority Affairs Smriti Irani said that she will create equality if a particular right is denied to every other religion in the country except one particular religion. she made this statement in an interview with Arnab Goswami in the ongoing Republic Summit 2023.
In a question, Arnab Goswami said that there is an allegation by many in the country against Smriti Irani that as the minister of minority affairs, she is going to break down NAWADCO.
While answering to this question, Smriti Irani said, “There is an institution called NAWADCO (National Waqf Development Corporation Limited). It is made, in fact, by Shri Manmohan Singh in January 2014 just before the general elections. NAWADCO is the only Section 25 company in the country that has been given the mandate to take money, especially from the taxpayers, to help maintain, develop, and economically resuscitate private waqf properties.”
“That it is an anomaly is true that there is no other Section 25 company in the country where taxpayers’ money is used to maintain personal private properties of a particular religious dispensation in the country. But, I will not be taking any administrative decisions in a summit. I can only assure you this because your summit talks of a time of transformation, that since this right is denied to every other religion in the country, I will bring it up to par. I will create equality,” She added.
Smriti Irani added, “I think you are in a business of predictions, presumptions, and then presentation. I am not in that business at all. I have said what I have said. We need to recognize our time. There is a cold run in which the Congress party wants this country to boil in. And that cold run is called religion. Do not set fire to things. If I can recollect correctly, the date of its establishment was the 28th of January 2014. I wonder why Dr Manmohan Singh felt that a Section 25 company has to be specifically created to look after the private properties of a particular religious community.”
“I have never spoken to Dr Manmohan Singh about it. But I believe that there is a sense of outrage about it as you have rightly exhibited it. I cannot be irresponsible and make pronouncements about what am I to do with that particular institution. I can only say that I am sworn to uphold the Constitution and ensure that all Indians are equal. I promise you that equality is all that I will save.”
Smriti Irani further said, “As an administrator, everything you do has consequences. It is your choice whether you want to maintain status-quo so that there are less personal consequences and you delve into the privilege of being politically more popular or you recognize that your country has voted a Prime Minister into service whose very disposition or declaration was to challenge the status quo. If the people of the country were happy with things as they were in 2014, Prime Minister Modi would not be Pradhan Sevak in 2014 and 2019. People expected change and change is what we have delivered and will continue to deliver on.”
The National Waqf Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO) is a central government-owned organization in India that was established in January 2014 with the aim of promoting the development of Waqf properties (land or property donated for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law) for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of the Muslim community.
NAWADCO provides technical, financial, and legal support to state Waqf boards, Waqf institutions, and other organizations involved in the development of Waqf properties. It also undertakes property development projects on Waqf properties on its own. The organization aims to use Waqf properties to generate income and use that income only for Muslims in India. This is so because it is a Section 25 company.
Section 25 company, also known as Section 8 company under the Companies Act, 2013, is a type of non-profit organization in India that is registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 (earlier it was Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956).
The main objective of a Section 25 company is to promote commerce, art, science, sports, education, research, social welfare, religion, charity, or any other useful purpose, provided the profits or any other income is used solely for promoting the objects of the company and not distributed among the members. These companies are not intended to make profits, and any income generated by them is solely used for the promotion of the objectives of the company. Notably, there is no religion other than Islam that has such an organisation that develops religious lands and uses its profits for the welfare of a particular religion.
