‘No Interference’ vs ‘Attack on Constitution’: Govt and Opposition Clash Over Waqf (Amendment) Bill in LS
The House also took up the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 for consideration and passing
The House also took up the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 for consideration and passing.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the two bills for passing in the House.
Congress member KC Venugopal accused the government of trying to bulldoze the bill, saying that they had not been given enough time to move their amendments.
"You are bulldozing the legislation, you need to give time for the amendments, their no time for amendments," he said.
Speaker Om Birla said that he had given equal consideration to the amendments of the government and the opposition members.
Rijiju told the media earlier that the bill is in the interest of the country.
"Today is a historic day and today the Waqf Amendment Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha and this bill is being introduced in the interest of the country. Not only crores of Muslims but the whole country will support it. Those who are opposing it are doing so for political reasons," he said.
The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha on August of last year and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
The bill seeks to amend Act of 1995. The Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
Supporting the amended Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenetti stressed the immense economic and social potential of Waqf properties, valued at Rs1.2 lakh crore and spanning 36.18 lakh acres. He criticised their mismanagement and underutilisation, asserting that reforms would empower minority communities, particularly women.
“Our party (TDP) supports the betterment of minority women through reforms in the Waqf Bill. We were the first to establish a special committee, and after extensive deliberations, the Bill now includes 14 amendments, three of which were proposed by TDP,” he said.
TDP’s key amendments to the Waqf Bill:
– All registered Waqf properties will remain valid even without a deed.
– State disputes over Waqf properties will be resolved by an officer ranked higher than a collector.
– The Waqf Tribunal can grant extensions for property registration in specific cases.
DMK leader A Raja, speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, said, ” Religion is different, and politics is something different.” The two should not be mixed, he added.
"The government is showing sympathy for minorities, but their double-engine government didn't allow people to offer Eid namaz on roads. First, they should clarify how many minority MPs they have in Lok Sabha..., " said Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, during the discussion on Waqf Amendment Bill
"On behalf of AITC, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, I strongly oppose the Bill in its entirety. The spirit of my speech is 'Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega. Insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega'..." says TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on the Waqf Amendment Bill tabled in Lok Sabha
It is a pattern of BJP to introduce new bill to hide the failures of their governance, says SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav
Union Home Minister Amit Shah replies to Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav, says, "Akhilesh Ji made his remark with a smile, so I will respond in the same manner. The parties sitting across from us in this House all have national presidents who are selected from just five family members. But in our party, we have to conduct a process involving 12-13 crore members, so naturally, it takes time. In your party, there is no delay at all..."
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, "... A party that claims to be the biggest political party in the world has still not been able to elect its own national president"
As the Parliament begins a debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Odisha’s opposition party Biju Janata Dal on Wednesday said it will oppose the contentious legislation.
The party said it had made some suggestions to be incorporated into the Bill which were rejected. The BJD, which has seven members in the Rajya Sabha, will oppose the Bill, BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sasmit Patra told PTI. The regional party headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, however, has no member in the Lok Sabha.
Stating that BJD Rajya Sabha member Muzibulla Khan will speak on behalf of the party in Parliament during the debate on the matter, Patra said the party is not satisfied with the Bill.
The Centre has amended certain points in the Bill after the JPC, he said.
The BJD leader said the Bill grants sweeping powers to the state government in determining the status of Waqf land, which could lead to undue interference. Patra also claimed that the absence of legal and institutional support for Waqf bodies exposes them to bureaucratic delays and mismanagement. PTI
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi slammed the Union Minister Kiren Rijiju over misleading the Parliament over the2013 Waqf board issue.
Rijju claimed, “Congress said any person can create Waqf in 2013. On March 5, 2014, the UPA transferred 123 prime properties to Delhi Waqf Board just before polls.” “What he said about 2013 is misleading. He must authenticate it,” said Gogoi. We have reversed it to say that only such a person who follows Islam for at least five years can create Waqf.
Union Minister Kiren Rijju Wednesday announced in Lok Sabha that the Waqf Bill will be renamed as Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill.