An RTI response has shown that the Delhi government under Arvind Kejriwal has granted the Delhi Waqf board more than Rs. 101 crores of public funds in the last 7 years. In just the past year, the AAP Government has granted the Waqf Board more than Rs. 62 crores.
RTI activist Ajay Bose inquired about the grant in aid received in the office of the Delhi Waqf Board since 2015. In the response received, it was found that the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal granted crores of rupees to the Delhi Waqf Board. In the financial year 2015-16, the Delhi government granted Rs. 1.25 crores to the Waqf Board. In the subsequent financial years 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 the number went on increasing to Rs. 1.37 crore, Rs. 5 crores, and Rs. 8.85 crores.
In the financial year 2019-20, the Delhi Waqf Board received Rs 22.72 crores from the Delhi government. In the financial year 2020-21 alone, Rs. 62.57 crores were given to the Delhi Waqf Board. The total of these grants comes to be more than 101 crores.
In September 2022, it had come to light that the Congress-led-UPA government gifted 123 government properties in Lutyens’ Delhi to Waqf in 2014.
As per a news report by Times Now, the decision was taken by the Cabinet and conveyed through a secret note, just days prior to the 2014 General election. The properties are located in prime locations such as Connaught Place, Ashoka Road, Mathura Road and other VVIP enclaves.
Times Now reported that it took just a phone call to identify the 123 government properties in favour of the Delhi Waqf Board. The news channel also shared the secret note, which is dated March 5, 2014, and signed by Additional Secretary JP Prakash.
