Waqf amendment bill: It was passed in the Lok Sabha late on Wednesday (02 April, 2025) after a long debate over the Waqf Amendment Bill. After this, this bill was kept for discussion in Rajya Sabha on Thursday (April 03, 2025). This bill also passed from here. The bill cast 128 votes in favor, while 95 votes were cast in protest. During this, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the opposition’s allegations and said that many suggestions of JPC were accepted.
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1. Earlier, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari asked the House why the discussion on the Waqf Bill is happening so late. He said that eight hours were given for discussion, but the House has been going on so late.
2. During the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said that there are many flaws in this bill. The Waqf Amendment Bill has been brought to harass minorities. He said that the budget of Minority Ministry has reduced and the government is not able to end the allot.
3. Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said, “I will appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah not to make it an issue of prestige. It is not good for Muslims and it is against the Constitution. Try to maintain the atmosphere of harmony, not to tease.”
4. Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda said, “The basic mantra of the Waqf Amendment Bill is to bring transparency and accountability, because the law was in the wrong direction between 2013-25. This has caused a lot of damage to the Muslim brothers. It has caused a lot of cream in it.”
5. JP Nadda said, “From 1913 to 2013, Waqf had 18 lakh hectares of assets. Since 2013, 21 lakh hectares of land has been added to Waqf properties. To prevent misuse of these lands and assets, we have proposed amendment in the 2013 Waqf Act. It is important to understand that law is a developed process.”
6. Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused some senior members of the Rajya Sabha of creating confusion and said that they (these members) are not present in the House to hear the answer to the discussion. Rijiju was referring to the comments of Independent member Kapil Sibal, who opposed the bill. The minister said that Sibal has created confusion on the tax bill compared to the assets of other religious bodies compared to the assets of Waqf bodies.
7. During the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 and the Muslim Waqf (Requal) Bill in the Upper House, Sibal opposed the proposed law and said that non-Muslims also have the right to make vaakf. He said, “When the land is mine, then who are you the lawmakers for this.” He mentioned the decisions of various High Courts.
8. He said that there are more than 10 lakh acres of land in Hindu (religious) institutions in four states. Sibal said, “In Hinduism, self-abusive property can be given to sons, not to daughters.”
9. Addressing Sibal, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he (Sibal) has given separate legal explanation. Dhankhar said that self-abusive property can be given to son, daughter or someone else, because this is the law of the country.
10. Participating in the discussion, Congress member Imran Pratapgarhi opposed the bill and said that if the government is concerned about the welfare of Muslims, then it should have taken the community into confidence before bringing this bill to the House.
Also read: ‘This is not Badrinath … Badruddin Shah, a case in Dehradun also filed’, Brij Lal said on the Waqf Amendment Bill