Day after order for Rs 10 cr grant to Maharashtra Waqf Board, govt withdraws GR after social media backlash

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A day after issuing a government resolution (GR) for the release of Rs 10 crore funds to strengthen the Maharashtra state Waqf Board, the state government on Friday withdrew the order after social media backlash.

On Thursday, the Maharashtra government had issued a GR, stating that the finance and planning department has approved a Rs 10 crore grant for strengthening the Maharashtra State Board of Waqfs (MSBW) headquartered in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

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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.

State Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik confirmed that the order has been withdrawn.

Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde is currently the caretaker chief minister of Maharashtra after the term of the 288-member legislative assembly ended on November 26.

When asked whether the GR was withdrawn, Saunik confirmed the development to the PTI.

According to the GR issued on Thursday, Rs 20 crore were earmarked for 2024-25 for strengthening of the state Waqf Board. Of that, Rs 2 crore were already disbursed to the board.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Waqf Board has been asked to take precautions to keep the expenditure under the prescribed norms, it said.

After the issuance of the GR, several social media users criticised the decision to release of Rs 10 crore funds to strengthen the Maharashtra state Waqf Board following which the BJP clarified that the GR was scrapped.

In a post on X, the Maharashtra BJP said "fake news" was being spread that the BJP-Mahayuti government gave a grant of Rs 10 crore for the Waqf Board.

"The decision was taken by officers at the administrative level. The GR has been scrapped after stiff opposition by the BJP. The BJP is firm on its stand that the waqf board has no place in the Constitution," the Maharashtra unit of the BJP said in the post on X.

A social media user wrote on X, "Shame on you for making decisions and then canceling them. How can the administration take such decisions without informing the minister?"

An another user wrote on X, "Canceled due to criticism."

A user asked through a post on X, "Will there be action against the official too?"