Under Opposition attack, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and other BJP MPs, including Leader of House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda, defended the Waqf Amendment Bill saying it was neither unconstitutional nor against Muslims. Tabling the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha, Rijiju kicked off the discussion and rejected the Opposition’s allegation that the Bill was unconstitutional. “It has been said that what we are doing is unconstitutional and will infringe upon the rights of Muslims. I would like to reject these claims. The management, creation of waqf properties will be done by Muslims, and beneficiaries will be Muslims. The waqf and mutawallis will be Muslims. It is created for religious and charitable purposes… there is no question of involvement of non-Muslims in these matters.” Asserting that the provisions of the Bill are centred around ensuring “transparency, accountability, and efficiency”, Rijiju said, “We are not trying to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments.” Listing all the provisions of the existing law, Nadda said it had become “draconian and overpowering”. This “overreaching”, he claimed, even challenged the spirit of the Constitution. “Shouldn’t Waqf properties be managed properly? Shouldn’t Waqf Boards be accountable to Muslim women and children? Is that a bad argument? We should rise above vote bank politics,” he said. On the issue of a donor being a practicing Muslim in the proposed law, Nadda said, “I don’t want to go into religious matters. But shouldn’t the donor be a genuine person? And one of the parameters of measuring that is the person should be a practising Muslim. We have not set up CCTV cameras. If the donor says he practices Islam and a Maulvi certifies it we will believe it.” Alleging that Waqf would earlier claim any property as its own, Nadda said, “In September, 2024, it was found through Waqf Board data that 5,970 government properties in 25 states and UTs had been declared as Waqf property.” He added that CAG had flagged irregularities regarding Waqf functioning in 2018. On Opposition allegation that the NDA had supported the 2013 Waqf Amendment Act and was now changing it, Nadda said, “It is true that we were with the government in 2013 when the Waqf amendments were brought. But in 2020, we saw that Waqf had 18 lakh hectares between 1913 and 2013, but since 2013, 21 lakh hectares have been added as Waqf property. So we thought some changes were required to the 2013 law. We are not taking anything away. We just want that the properties are not misused.” Adding to Rijiju’s assurance on Muslims, Nadda said, “The Modi government's schemes reach everyone equally. It does not see who is OBC, Dalit or Muslim; 35% of government schemes have gone to Muslims. I want to ask who kept them away for the past 70 years. Who kept them in fear? You have seen the fruits of your 70-year experiment. Despite your 2013 Bill, you were in the Opposition by 2014.” Nadda asserted that BJP believed in real service for Muslims and not “lip service”. “In 1924, all Waqf properties in Turkey were brought under government control. They stopped misuse of Waqf properties through digital records in the late 80s. The income of Waqf began to be used for education and health. Congress should have done it. Why didn’t it?” he said. Nadda said when Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Indonesia brought similar reforms to Waqf, what was the problem in India. Responding to allegations that the Bill was framed without sufficient consultations, Rijiju said that before the Joint Committee of Parliament was formed, the Ministry discussed the matter with several stakeholders including state governments, Waqf Boards, and religious organisations. He added that the House committee was then formed, and did “extensive” work. Calling the Bill “revolutionary”, BJP’s Radha Mohan Das Agrawal said it “will help poor Muslims”. “We are Hindus, and history holds witness to our efforts to improve our society by banning Sati and child marriages, and permitting widow remarriage. But no efforts were made to undertake reforms in Parliament that would help poor Muslims. Under Narendra Modi, this is the first time such things are being done. All his welfare schemes have reached Muslims,” he said. “Modi ji wants the country to be developed in 2047. Is it possible if Muslims remain backward? We will try our best to help Muslims, but Muslim organisations also have to play a role,” he said. Aggarwal alleged that Waqf Boards worked like “land mafia and captured lands”. “In UP, 74% Waqf properties are encroachments on government land; in Telangana the number is 50%. From 2006 to 2023, Waqf land grew from 6 lakh acres to 37 lakh acres. They have to explain how,” he said.
