PM faces protest at Delhi Waqf event

A conference attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was disrupted here Wednesday by a man who said none of the government schemes for the minorities were reaching the beneficiaries.

As soon as the prime minister concluded his speech at the launch of the National Waqf Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO) in Vigyan Bhavan here, promising more steps to empower minorities, a man, later identified as M. Faheem Baig, stood up and shouted that none of the schemes were reaching the people.

"There is no need for a new scheme when government cannot ensure the implementation of the existing welfare schemes," Baig shouted as Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and other dignitaries seated on the stage looked on.

"I have written 150 letters to you but my voice is not being heard," Baig said before being gagged and escorted out of the conference hall.

NAWADCO is a new central public sector enterprise under the minority affairs ministry and will work towards the development of the 4.9 lakh Waqf properties in India, the largest in the world. The revenue generated from the assets would be used to benefit the Muslim community.

The prime minister later asked Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan, who was also present at the event, to meet Baig and "hear his views and consider his petition".