A DAY after issuing a Government resolution (GR) for the release of Rs 10 crore funds to strengthen the State Waqf Board, the Maharashtra Government on Friday withdrew the order amid opposition by the BJP. State Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik confirmed that the order has been withdrawn. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won the recent State Assembly elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance, opposed the GR saying the decision was taken at the administrative level, and added that Waqf Board has no place in the Constitution.

 

Top State BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who served as Deputy Chief Minister in the outgoing dispensation and is seen as front runner to head the new Government, said the caretaker Government has withdrawn its decision as it was not appropriate. The new Government will probe the timing and validity of the GR, he added. Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh said the Government’s decision to withdraw the order shows the new dispensation is “anti-minority”.