Won’t interfere in religion, will ensure transparency: Shah allays Waqf fears
By a majority of 288 to 232 after a demand for division of votes by the Opposition, the Lok Sabha at 12.30 am on Thursday took up the Waqf (Amendment) Bill-2025 for passing.
The House then took up clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill, which was set for passage late into the wee hours. Voting on the Bill was underway until 1 am. All opposition amendments were negated by voice vote.
Earlier on Wednesday, putting up a stout defence for the Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said that due to vote bank politics, fear was being spread that the legislation would infringe on the religious freedom of the Muslim community and properties which donated by them.
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During a discussion on the Bill, brought to the Lower House for passage by Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Shah said non-Muslims in the Waqf council and boards were meant purely for ensuring that the administration of properties was in accordance with stated aims. Shah said the government had no intention of interfering in Muslims’ religious matters.
He underlined that Waqf was a type of charitable institution where a person donated his property for social, religious or public welfare purposes, without the right to take it back.
Presenting a long list of properties that, he said, were given for Waqf, the Home Minister said, “You cannot donate someone else’s property.”
He cited examples of court rulings and referred to a case where the Karnataka High Court had to stop “grabbing” of 602 sq km by the Waqf Board.
“Properties in Lutyens’ zone (Delhi) went to Waqf, and they started taking over government land... In Tamil Nadu, a 400-year-old temple property was declared Waqf’s. Land for a five-star establishment was given to Waqf for Rs 12,000 a month... Several properties belonging to different religions were declared as Waqf property, including Chandra Shekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj,” he said.
The amended Bill, he said, would be instrumental in stopping this. “This Bill will protect property… it will bring transparency,” he said.
Shah said the new legislation might not have been necessary had the Waqf (Amendment) Act not been passed in 2013 — when the Congress-led UPA was in power — just months before the Lok Sabha elections the following year. Earlier, Rijiju had said a case going on since 1970 in Delhi involved several properties, including the old Parliament building.
“The Delhi Waqf Board had claimed these properties. The case was in court but then the UPA denotified 123 properties and gave them to the Waqf Board,” he said.
“Had we not introduced this amendment today, even the building we are sitting in could have been claimed as Waqf property. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government did not come to power... several other properties would also have been de-notified,” the minister said.
Deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi rebutted Rijiju and asked him to authenticate his claims and said the Bill was brought to dilute the Constitution, defame and disenfranchise minorities, and divide society.
The minister criticised the Opposition for “spreading rumours” and “misleading critics”, claiming that the Bill would benefit everyone.
He also dispelled concerns about rumours that the Bill would “take away the rights of Muslims” and assured that “no land will be snatched under the Waqf Bill”.
Rijiju sought to know from the Opposition why Muslims remained poor even till today when Waqf land was the third largest by size after parcels of the Railways and the armed forces in the country.
Congress MP Gogoi, while opening the discussion on the Bill, accused the Centre of attempting to “dilute the Constitution” through the Waqf Bill. “This Bill aims to dilute the Constitution, defame minority communities, divide Indian society and disenfranchise minorities,” the Congress leader said.
Dismissing both Shah and Rijiju’s claims that there was a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) discussion taking into consideration inputs from all parties, the Congress leader countered, saying that there was no clause-by-clause discussion. “Not a single amendment suggested by the Opposition has been adopted,” said Gogoi, adding, “Those who had no idea about Waqf were invited to the JPC”.
Gogoi, debating against the Bill, warned that the government would target other minorities in the future. Gogoi also questioned the government over a contentious provision that donations can only be made by a Muslim who has been practising his/her faith for at least five years.
Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Samajwadi Party chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP was looking at usurping Muslims’ properties to skirt the issue of identifying Hindus who have died or got lost in Maha Kumbh.
He said the BJP had brought up a new Bill to “hide its failures”, adding that the Bill was aimed at managing the BJP’s “diminishing” vote bank.
