BJP trying to pit Shias against Sunnis by merging waqf boards: Barelvi clerics

BAREILLY: Prominent clerics of the Barelvi sect on Tuesday accused the BJP government in UP of "trying to drive a wedge between Shia and Sunni communities" with the proposal to merge the Waqf boards of the two groups.
This comes days after a state minister had said that a proposal to merge the Waqf boards of both the factions was on the cards.
Taking exception to the proposed move, a few senior clerics told TOI that by merging the boards, the BJP “was conspiring” to create differences among Sunnis and Shias and it may bring both the sects “at loggerheads.”
The minister of state for Waqf, Mohsin Raza, said on Sunday that the Uttar Pradesh government was mulling forming a UP Muslim Waqf Board by merging both the boards to prevent “wastage of money”.
Spokesperson of Dargah Aala Hazrat, Mufti Mohammed Salim Noori, said, “There are different set of rules that govern Shia and Sunni Waqf properties. It appears that BJP wants to create friction between Shias and Sunnis as merging of the Waqf boards will lead to disputes, like appointment of caretaker for the properties. The state has been following the old system for decades and it should be retained.”
Mohammad Ehsan Raza Khan, caretaker of Dargah Aala Hazrat, also cited similar reasons. “Shias and Sunnis go to separate mosques. Their graveyards are also separate. The move will create disputes. The work of the government is to resolve problems, not to create them,” he said.
Opposing the merger, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, national general secretary of Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa, an influential organization of Barelvi sect, added: “Sunnis comprise the biggest chunk of population, while population of Shias is not much. So let the boards remain separate.”