Parliament on Friday gave its final approval to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after the Rajya Sabha passed the contentious legislation following a marathon 13-hour debate. The Lok Sabha had already approved the Bill on Thursday.
Despite vociferous protests from opposition parties, which deemed the legislation “anti-Muslim” and “unconstitutional,” the ruling dispensation maintained that the Bill would usher in “historic reforms” benefiting the minority community. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, while in the Lok Sabha, it was cleared with 288 votes to 232.
The Parliament also gave its assent to the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it after its passage in the Lok Sabha.
Defending the Bill, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress and other opposition parties of misleading the Muslim community and claimed that the central government functioned with the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.’
“The Waqf Board is a statutory body and, like all government institutions, should be secular. The inclusion of a few non-Muslims will not alter its decisions but will instead add value,” Rijiju stated. He asserted that the government had incorporated several recommendations from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and various stakeholders.
Leader of the House and BJP stalwart J P Nadda dismissed opposition concerns, maintaining that the Bill was aimed at “helping the poor and protecting the rights of Muslim women.”
“You made the Indian Muslim ladies second-grade citizens,” Nadda told the Congress, adding, “It was only India where Muslim women were not brought into the mainstream.” He cited examples of Muslim-majority nations like Egypt, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Syria, where triple talaq was banned years ago, and accused the previous Congress-led UPA government of failing to act.
Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc roundly condemned the Bill, contending that it was designed to strip Muslims of their properties and hand them over to corporations. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge charged that the government was attempting to “sow the seeds of conflict by suppressing Muslims.”
“The legislation is unconstitutional and harmful to Indian Muslims,” Kharge declared, urging the government to reconsider. “There are a lot of mistakes in this Bill. Do not make it a prestige issue,” he said.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain termed the legislation “unconstitutional” and accused the BJP of using it for communal polarisation. Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Manoj Jha criticised the “content and intent” of the Bill, calling for it to be sent back to a parliamentary select committee.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav stressed that all religions must be treated with respect and warned against India moving towards a “totalitarian state.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader John Brittas charged that the Bill was an attack on India’s constitutional foundations. “It attacks the basic tenets of India’s Constitution, its secularism, democracy, and equality,” he remarked.
YSR Congress Party’s Y V Subba Reddy also termed the Bill “unconstitutional.”
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi raised concerns over the omission of the concept of ‘Waqf by user.’ He alleged that the Bill weakened the protection of Waqf properties while simultaneously increasing government control over them.
Independent MP Kapil Sibal questioned why the government was targeting only one community. “There should be reform in the Hindu religion as well. Bring a law to ensure that women have rights in bequeathing property,” he demanded.
BJD’s Muzibulla Khan expressed concerns over the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Waqf Board, while DMK’s Tiruchi Siva rejected the Bill as “legally flawed, constitutionally indefensible, and morally reprehensible.”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the government was attempting to control Muslim religious bodies and warned that other religious institutions, including Sikh and Christian bodies, could be next. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the government’s intent, saying, “Why is the government so worried about poor Muslims?”
The opposition also accused the government of using the Bill to divert attention from other pressing issues, including US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of reciprocal tariffs on India.
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