India, April 15 -- Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the amendments to the Waqf Act were not targeted at the Muslim community but were meant to correct "past mistakes."

While addressing the media in Kochi, Rijiju said the government's intention was to ensure there is no provision for anyone in India to "forcefully and unilaterally" take over another person's land.

He claimed that the Waqf law was amended because certain provisions had granted "unprecedented power and authority to the Waqf Boards."

"This is not targeted at the Muslim community. It is to correct mistakes of the past," the minister added.

Accompanied by Union minister of state George Kurien and state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rijiju s...