Discussion underway on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Rajya Sabha

By  News On Air   Apr 03, 2025

The Rajya Sabha is discussing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The  Bill aims to streamline the management of Waqf properties, with provisions to safeguard heritage sites and promote social welfare. The legislation also aims to improve governance by enhancing transparency in property management, streamlining coordination between Waqf Boards and local authorities and protecting stakeholder’s rights.

The Bill also seeks to improve the economic and social status of Muslim women, particularly widows and divorced women. The Bill is intended to make the Waqf Board more inclusive, having representation from different Muslim sects for better Waqf governance and decision-making.

Moving the bill, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the bill has been brought after a detailed consultation with the stakeholders as well as in the Joint Parliamentary Committee. He urged the opposition parties to support this bill. Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, he said, only Muslim can get the benefit of Waqf and it is not correct that any non-muslim will interfere in the management of Waqf properties. He highlighted that the bill is intended to ensure better management of Waqf properties and not to interfere in the religious practice of Muslim. The Minister also highlighted that the Waqf boards will have representations of all different sects of Muslim and women to make it inclusive.

Participating in the discussion, Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain of Congress said that this bill is misleading and it has been brought with the intention of communal polarisation. He alleged that BJP is trying to divide the communities. He said, during the BJP government, the budget was not allocated for Waqf council and salaries were not paid to the employees of the council. Interrupting Dr. Hussain, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the opposition is trying to mislead the people.

Tiruchi Siva of DMK opposed the bill alleging that a certain community is being targeted. He said the bill is anti-secular and unconstitutional. Mohd Nadimul Haque of TMC said, the bill is against the fundamental rights of the people. He alleged that the identity of Waqf is weakened in the name of reforms. Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party termed this bill unconstitutional and urged the government to take it back. He said the government is misleading the people. Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD questioned the intent and content of the bill.

Radha Mohan Das of BJP alleged that no work was done to improve the lives of poor Muslims during the Congress rule. Mr Das said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought this bill for the betterment of poor Muslim communities. He said that the Modi government has implemented several schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana through which muslim community also benefited. Discussion is underway. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill last night.