Waqf amendment bill: Lok Sabha passes the legislation after fiery debate

Waqf amendment bill live: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant criticized the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying "I am here to present my view on Waqf Amendment Bill... I, too, was a member of the JPC. Unfortunately, till the end, clause-by-clause discussions were not held in the JPC. Non-stakeholders were also called to the JPC… We have always felt that there is a great difference between your words and actions. You do not want to do justice to anyone with this Bill… Do not think that what you are doing is right... I think you can only see Bihar Elections now..."

Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi reiterated the INDIA bloc's opposition to the bill, calling it an attack on the Constitution’s basic structure. He alleged that the amendments aimed to dilute its provisions, defame minorities, disenfranchise them, and divide Indian society.

Responding to the criticism, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the bill, arguing that the government has the authority to regulate Waqf properties, especially when many remain unutilised or are being misused.

Waqf amendment bill live: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being discussed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

It proposes 40 amendments to the existing Waqf Act.

Key modifications include:

- Ensuring representation for Muslim women and non-Muslims in Waqf boards. Overhauling regulation and governance of India’s Waqf boards, which manage Islamic charitable endowments.

- The government claims the bill will modernise the system based on recommendations from the 2006 Rajinder Sachar Committee. The Opposition demands greater scrutiny, arguing it may negatively impact Muslim communities.

- A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewed the bill and proposed several amendments before presenting its report during the Budget session. The JPC suggested renaming the bill as the “Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act.”

Waqf amendment bill live: Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya defended the Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing the opposition of protesting for appeasement politics. He stated, "The opposition is protesting due to the policy of appeasement. Cases of lakhs of Muslim brothers are pending in the Waqf Board. The amendment being made in the Waqf Board will benefit the Muslim brothers. Some people have captured the Waqf Board across the country. This bill has been brought to get rid of that power. The Muslim community will get the maximum benefit from this."

The bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in August last year and was later examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee led by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.

It seeks to amend the 1995 Act to enhance the administration and management of Waqf properties in India. The proposed changes aim to address existing shortcomings, improve the efficiency of Waqf boards, streamline the registration process, and incorporate technology for better management.

Waqf amendment bill live: JKPC President Sajad Gani Lone opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill, stating, "The Waqf property is collectively owned by the Muslim community of the country... The state should not have any interference with the religion."

On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha took up the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration. The bill includes recommendations from the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which reviewed the version introduced in August last year. Alongside this, the House also considered the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024.

Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju presented both bills for passage in the House.

Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla assured that amendments proposed by both the government and opposition members were given equal consideration.

Waqf amendment bill live: Political parties in Kashmir on Wednesday voiced their opposition to the amendments in the Waqf Act, calling it an interference in religious affairs and an attempt to weaken the Muslim community. Opposition leaders criticised the bill as “unconstitutional” and harmful to Muslim interests.

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemned the bill, saying, "This bill is designed to disempower Muslims. I don't have any hope with BJP as we have been seeing for the past 10-11 years how Muslims are lynched and mosques demolished... but the Hindu brethren should step forward because this is the nation of Gandhi, it should run as per the constitution."

She further urged secular forces to intervene, warning that the country could face a situation similar to Myanmar.

"They (Hindus) have to if they do not want another Myanmar here, if they do not want the same to happen to Muslims what happened to Kashmiri Pandits. So, people have to come forward and stop the injustice, the takeover of the Waqf board that is taking place now," she added.

Waqf amendment bill live: Amid the uproar in Parliament over the Waqf Amendment Bill, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti accused the BJP of targeting Muslims through legislative changes.

She stated, “For the last 10-11 years, BJP has been working against Muslims. This is a part of that. First, they were lynched, mosques were damaged and shops were shut. By bringing this Waqf Bill, they want to seize our properties...What would the Muslims do? They have been tolerating this for the last 10-11 years but I think our Hindu brothers should understand that India is known for its harmony, for Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb...Today, all of these is being dumped in the garbage.”

Waqf amendment bill live: While introducing the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the UPA government's 2013 amendment to the Waqf Act, questioning the powers granted under Section 108.

Highlighting key changes made by the UPA, Rijiju stated, "In 2013, right before Lok Sabha elections in 2014, there were some steps taken which will raise questions in your mind. In 2013, the act was changed to allow Sikhs, Hindus, Parsis and others to create Waqf. Everyone knows Waqf is for Muslims to create Waqf in the name of Allah."

As the ruling CPI(M) and the IUML, a key member of the Congress-led UDF, in Kerala on Wednesday indicated their opposition to the Centre's Waqf Amendment Bill, the BJP unit in the state urged the MPs from Kerala to support the legislation.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan made it clear that the party MPs will vote against the Bill in the Parliament. Taking a similar stand, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) supremo Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said that all secular parties have decided to oppose the Bill in the Parliament.

Union minister of Parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tabled the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha and initiated the discussion on behalf of the government. During his address, Kiren Rijiju teared into the Opposition for being against the bill and highlighted why it was important to introduce the recommended modifications.

Check his top quotes here

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at the BJP's leadership election process, saying, "A party that claims to be the biggest political party in the world has still not been able to elect its own national president." Yadav said this during the Lok Sabha debate on Waqf Amendment Bill on Wednesday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded in a light-hearted manner, saying, "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..."

BJP national president JP Nadda had assumed responsibility of the party in 2019 as its working president. In January 2020, he was unanimously elected BJP national president, succeeding Amit Shah. Nadda's term was extended until June 2024 in anticipation of the Lok Sabha elections.

Security was tightened at sensitive locations of Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar as a precautionary measure, following the tabling of the Waqf Bill in Parliament on Wednesday, officials said.

A flag march led by District Magistrate Umesh Mishra and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abhishek Singh was conducted by the district administration in sensitive areas.

The march covered key areas, including the Khalapar locality, they said.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva on Wednesday voiced strong opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill, saying that his party firmly opposes it as the proposed legislation raises concerns regarding the country's secular fabric.

"It is a crucial bill which has again put the question of secularism in this country to the test. DMK is against the bill. Our leaders have categorically expressed this. Yesterday, all the opposition parties decided to vote against the bill. They (the BJP) always bulldoze the bills in their own manner since they have a majority in the Lok Sabha," Tiruchi Siva told ANI.

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.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticized Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for misleading Parliament regarding the 2013 Waqf Board issue.

Rijiju had claimed, “Congress said anyone could create a Waqf in 2013. On March 5, 2014, the UPA government transferred 123 prime properties to the Delhi Waqf Board just before the elections.”

In response, Gogoi countered, “What he said about 2013 is misleading. Rijiju must provide evidence to back his statement.” He went on to clarify, “We have since amended the rules to stipulate that only individuals who have been practicing Islam for at least five years can create a Waqf.”

As the Lok Sabha prepared to formally take up the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, along with recommendations from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), opposition lawmakers raised strong objections, citing procedural lapses in its introduction. The debate quickly escalated into a contentious exchange over legislative practices and committee powers.

Congress MP KC Venugopal led the opposition charge, criticising what he termed as an attempt to "bulldoze legislation." He alleged that the bill was only brought to members' notice in the afternoon, leaving them with an unreasonably short window to propose amendments before the 3:30 pm deadline. Expressing frustration, he questioned the fairness of such a process, arguing that lawmakers must have sufficient time to draft and submit amendments.

In response, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla dismissed the concerns, asserting that equal time was provided to both government and private members for amendment proposals. He maintained that there was no discrimination in the process and that the rules had been followed appropriately.

Introducing the Waqf bill in Lok Sabha, Kiren Rijiju said over 97.27 lakh petitions, memorandums were received by the JPC through physical and online formats and the JPC had gone through each of them before finalising its report.

The minister said as many as 284 delegations submitted their views on the bill besides the Waqf boards of 25 states and Union Territories.

Legal luminaries, charitable organisations, academicians and religious leaders, among others, have also submitted their opinions, he said.

"The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required," Rijiju said amid noisy opposition protest.

The long-awaited eight-hour debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill began on Wednesday with a point of order raised by opposition MP NK Ramachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, who questioned the authority of Parliament.

The debate on proposed changes to Waqf laws got underway with a sharp attack from Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who took aim at the Congress party. Rijiju accused Congress—long a vocal critic of the bill and frequently targeted by the BJP for allegedly "appeasing minorities"—of being willing to hand over the historic Parliament building to Waqf councils.

In his strong critique of Congress, Rijiju further claimed that the party had made "questionable changes" to Waqf laws during its time in power. He alleged that under the UPA government, 123 major buildings had been denotified and subsequently handed over to the Waqf.

Delhi All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Shoaib Jamai on Wednesday warned of a nationwide movement, which would be initiated from the national capital, if attempts were made to "forcibly" impose the Waqf Amendment Bill.

He said that attacks on rights granted by the constitution to minorities would not be tolerated.

"If an attempt is made to forcibly impose the Waqf Bill on Muslims, there will be a nationwide movement, and it will start from Delhi. 'The movement will start from where it ended last time.' We will use our democratic rights and will not tolerate any attack on the rights given to minorities in the constitution," Jamai posted on X.

Union minister Kiren Rijijju tables Waqf (Amendment) Bill as proposed by JPC for consideration in Lok Sabha. A discussion between government and opposition to follow.

The Waqf Amendment Bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha today, sparking mixed reactions from opposition parties and BJP ally JD(U). JD(U) Member of Parliament Sanjay Jha expressed his party's concern, stating that the bill should not be retrospective. He mentioned that if their concerns were addressed in the bill, they would support it.

"Our concern is that it (Bill) should not be retrospective. Let the bill come if our concerns are accommodated in it, we will definitely support the Bill," Jha told ANI.

Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma MP said that the Waqf Amendment Bill is for the betterment of "true Muslims and the country".

"The Congress did not amend the Waqf Bill to serve their vote-bank politics and to appease some wrong elements of society... The poor Muslims are also happy with this bill... The Congress has stopped aligning itself with people's thoughts; that is why they have been wiped out," she told ANI.

DMK MP Kanimozhi told reporters, "The DMK is opposing it. Our CM MK Stalin has passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. We will not give up on the minorities of this country. The INDIA alliance stands together to oppose this Bill."

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday issued a three-line whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the House for the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The members have been asked to be present in the House from 11 am onwards until the adjournment of the House and "support the stand of the party".

Women in Bhopal came out in support of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which will be taken up for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha today.