(Triple Talaq Bill, Uniform Civil Code in a few states and even Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Perhaps Waqf Bill is the most painful shot than all these .... that would hit Sickularism and their politics of Muslim appeasement.)
Contentious Waqf bill to be tabled in Lok Sabha on April 2, Wednesday
Eight hours allotted for discussions
Opposition walks out of business advisory panel meet
Last week, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) urged the MPs from the state cutting across political lines to support the Waqf bill.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has labelled the UP waqf board as the “land mafia” and suggested it has illegally grabbed land in the Kumbh area of Allahabad and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.
The chief minister’s comments had come come days after cleric — Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, president of the All India Muslim Jamat — alleged the government had taken over 55 bighas in the Kumbh area that he said belonged to the waqf board.
The government has allocated eight hours for a discussion on the amended Waqf bill on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha, a session that is likely to be stormy amid strong pushback from the opposition and various Muslim organisations.
A teaser of the probable showdown was seen on Tuesday after the opposition walked out of the business advisory committee (BAC) meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
There was heated exchange of words over the time allotted for the Waqf bill debate.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, in an exclusive interview with 'India Today', said the walkout by the opposition was an excuse to avoid discussion on the bill, which will give the government a say in regulating waqf properties and settling disputes.
"We want a discussion on the Waqf bill, but the opposition is only resorting to fearmongering and trying to obstruct the legislation. The walkout by the opposition today was an excuse to avoid discussion. The Christian community is also supporting the bill," Rijiju said.
The opposition dubbed the bill unconstitutional and against the interest of the Muslim community.
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| Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju |
The Waqf bill, which proposes to amend a decades-old law that governs properties worth crores donated by Muslims, was tabled in Parliament last year in August.
However, amid opposition protests, it was sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), chaired by BJP leader Jagdambika Pal, for consultation. The bill, with 14 amendments, was approved by the Union Cabinet in February.
The proposed changes to the Waqf bill include tweaks to the composition of waqf boards, making it mandatory to include non-Muslims as its members.
It also makes it mandatory for every waqf property to be registered on a central database within six months of the law coming into force. However, it gives the Waqf Tribunal power to extend the timeframe in certain circumstances.
In cases of dispute, a state government official will have the power to determine if a property is a waqf or belongs to the government. The previous bill had proposed the district collector to be made the determining authority.
This provision has generated much controversy, with Muslim outfits arguing that the officer is likely to rule in favour of the government.
Recently Union Home Minister Amit Shah said -
"We will introduce the Waqf Bill in Parliament within this session," Shah said at the "Times Now Summit 2025".
Shah said no one should be afraid of the proposed legislation as the Narendra Modi government is amending the Waqf Act in accordance with the ambit of the Constitution.
"The opposition is misleading Muslims. No rights of Muslims will be curbed. They are just telling lies after lies," he said.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been one of the most vocal voices against the Bill, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday with “firing bullets at our chest through the Waqf Bill by targeting our mosques and dargahs."
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