Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 3: The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 after an intense 12-hour debate, with 288 MPs voting in favour and 232 opposing it. The contentious bill sparked sharp exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition, with union home minister Amit Shah delivering a scathing critique of the 2013 amendments introduced under the UPA regime.
Shah accused the previous government of making politically motivated changes to Waqf laws ahead of the 2014 elections, citing the transfer of 123 prime properties in Delhi’s Lutyens zone to Waqf authorities. He argued that the current amendment was necessary to ensure accountability and prevent financial mismanagement within the Waqf Board.
Defending the bill, union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju rejected allegations of religious bias, stating that the proposed reforms aimed to streamline Waqf administration rather than target any community. He pointed out that while separate Waqf boards for Sunni, Shia, and other sects had been introduced by past governments, the present administration was advocating a unified system. Rijiju also dismissed concerns over land ownership, clarifying that all property-related claims would require legal documentation, irrespective of religious affiliation.
Opposition leaders fiercely opposed the bill, with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tearing a copy of it in protest. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi labeled it an ‘attack’ on the Constitution, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the bill’s intent, calling its provisions unclear. Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi vowed to reverse the law if his party returned to power in 2029.
Despite the uproar, some voices within the Muslim community urged calm. Syed Naseruddin Chishty, chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, dismissed fears that religious properties would be seized, stating that the bill was meant to introduce stricter regulations against misuse. National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura also backed the bill, saying it served the larger interests of the community.
In Jammu and Kashmir, regional parties, barring the BJP, opposed the bill, with former chief minister Omar Abdullah calling it unacceptable. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera denounced the legislation as ‘anti-Muslim’ and ‘anti-constitutional’, claiming it undermined the principles of equality and federalism enshrined by B R Ambedkar.
With the Lok Sabha's approval, the bill now moves to the Rajya Sabha, where another round of intense debate is expected.