As expected .... it was a fiery debate all along. In a fiery start to the debate post noon, April 2, Wednesday, the NDA and its allies put up a united front, rallying behind the contentious bill. In contrast, the INDIA bloc also seemed determined to oppose the bill, calling it "unconstitutional".
Amid uproar from the Opposition, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the bill in Parliament, announcing it would be renamed the Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) bill.
A marathon debate of 12 hours, a back and forth of claims and rebuttals between the Centre and the Opposition, and voting on multiple questions - the Lok Sabha saw a huge drama unfold before the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was finally cleared. With 288 votes in favour and 232 against, the bill was passed after a prolonged debate and several deliberations that lasted past midnight, and now faces a test in the Rajya Sabha.
At times, there were fiery one-liners from Home Minister Amit Shah. To an opposition member contention that the Muslims (minorities) shall not obey or abide by this new law; a visibly furious Home Minister said no one could make such a statement.
"Are you threatening.... This is a central law passed by Parliament and it is binding on all," Shah said.
The Waqf bill was introduced by the government, alleging that the existing Waqf law was altered in 2013 during the Congress-led UPA regime for appeasement politics. The charge was repeated several times by many BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who warned that the Opposition was "spreading misconceptions" over the Waqf bill.
The Waqf bill debate, which was originally allotted eight hours, stretched to over 12 hours in the Lok Sabha. While the Opposition alleged attempts at diluting the Constitution, the BJP hit back with a "fearmongering" charge.
Following hours of arguments for and against the bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah issued a big clarification on one of the provisions of the bill in the evening. He said that non-Muslims would only be part of the Waqf board and would have no role in religious affairs.
"First of all, no non-Muslim would come into the Waqf. Understand this clearly...There is no such provision to include any non-Muslim among those who manage the religious institutions; we do not want to do this," Shah clarified.
Minority Affairs Minister Rijiju said it was necessary to ensure transparency in the running of Waqf boards, and clarified that it would not "snatch" the land or mosques of the Muslim community.
Countering him was Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi with his '4-D' attack, alleging the bill would "dilute the Constitution, defame minority communities, divide Indian society, and disenfranchise minorities".
Surprisingly, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not part of the debate.
One of the biggest points of opposition to the bill by some parties was the provision to include non-Muslim experts. While Kiren Rijiju said that move was aimed at making the board more secular, the Opposition stood against it.
Hours later, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also vehemently opposed the bill, and even symbolically ‘tore’ it, likening the act to Mahatma Gandhi's defiance of unjust laws. He cited Article 14, which guarantees equal protection under the law. "A Muslim will face restrictions on waqf property, and the encroacher will overnight become the owner," he said.
Right after Kiren Rijiju's closing remarks on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill ended, the house was open for voting on it.
However, the process was prolonged with voting on several questions, including whether to consider the bill for voting. After multiple rounds of voting on various questions, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was cleared in Lok Sabha at around 1:57 am.
(Triple Talaq Bill, Uniform Civil Code in a few states and even Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. But perhaps Waqf Bill is the most painful shot than all these .... that would hit Sickularism and their politics of Muslim appeasement. It is because it involves 'land grabbing' mechanism.
The data says it all ---
"Between 1913 and 2013 there was 18 lakh acre land total across India belonging to Waqf.. between 2013 to 2025, thanks to the 2013 law by the UPA government, the Waqf land went up to 39 lakh acres.... there was an increase in 21 lakh acre," the Home Minister Amit Shah said.
"When amendments to the Waqf were introduced in 2013, Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that he wanted a strict law and wanted to put those in jail who were stealing. Narendra Modi has fulfilled Lalu Prasad Yadav's wishes." -- Amit Shah
ends
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