Okhla AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan may return as Wakf Board chief
NEW DELHI: AAP Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan is likely to return to Delhi Wakf Board (DWB) as the chairman. The proposal for his nomination as member to the panel, forwarded by the Delhi government, has reportedly been cleared by the lieutenant governor’s (L-G) office.
A government official, aware of the matter, said that the file pertaining to his appointment to the board as its member had already been cleared about 10 days ago and his nomination might be notified soon. “His appointment should have been notified long ago but opposition by a section in the government has delayed the decision. Following the approval by the L-G’s office, the notification is expected soon,” said the official.
After the reconstitution of the DWB, the election for the chairmanship will be held among the members and if Khan is elected, this will be his third term as the head of the body, which is the custodian of over 2,000 Waqf properties such as mosques, graveyards, schools, residential buildings, shops and land parcels across the national capital.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Khan, who had to resign from the Board in 2016 and 2018 over corruption charges, often draws criticism from the bureaucrats and rival political parties for his ‘autocratic’ style of working. His previous term ended in February following the dissolution of the sixth legislative assembly. Khan was re-elected from the same seat later.
Khan was seen actively carrying out welfare activities including for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of communal violence in northeast Delhi, which had broken out in the aftermath of a series of protests against contentious citizenship amendment act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“Delay in his appointment indicates that Khan was being opposed because of his relief work, which he did during communal riots in northeast Delhi, by a section in the government. However, all hurdles are cleared now. The government may soon issue notification about his nomination,” said an representative of the DWB.