Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya hails Deve Gowda’s participation in Waqf Bill debate: ‘Even at 91, he inspires us all’

Rajya Sabha on Friday passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 after a fiery debate on the issue.

Published on: Apr 4, 2025, 13:14:51 IST

By Anagha Deshpande

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Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Friday commended former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda for his active participation in the Rajya Sabha debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which went on for over 17 hours and concluded at around 4 am.

Rajya Sabha debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, went on for over 17 hours and concluded at around 4 am. (Sansad TV)

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Surya lauded the 91-year-old Janata Dal (Secular) leader, calling him an inspiration to all parliamentarians.

"Known as the House of Elders, most MPs from the Rajya Sabha are senior citizens. Former PM Deve Gowda Ji, even at the age of 91, actively participated in the debate and inspired all of us," Surya wrote.

(Also Read: Leopard walks into Bengaluru home, family traps it inside until rescue team arrives: Report)

Read his full post here:

Taking a dig at some MPs, without naming anyone, Surya added, “Those who wink, disrupt, heckle and show their outright disinterest in Parliament, despite being elected to represent the people's voices, should learn from this.”

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was under discussion for much of the day and night, was eventually passed in the early hours of Friday morning.

Rajya Sabha on Friday passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 after a fiery debate on the issue. The debate, which began on Thursday afternoon, went well past midnight.

128 members voted for the bill while 95 members voted against it, chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said, while adding that the final numbers were subject to correction. The debate on the bill lasted for more than 12 hours.

With the upper house passing the bill, it has now officially got the approval of the Parliament and will now go to the President of India for her final assent before becoming a law. The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 has also been passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lok Sabha had given the nod to the bill after a similarly long debate. While the Narendra Modi government has repeatedly defended the bill, the opposition has termed it ‘unconstitutional’ and an ‘attack on religious freedom’.

(Also Read: Rajya Sabha passes Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 a day after Lok Sabha nod)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anagha Deshpande
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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