New Delhi: The Lok Sabha early Thursday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after over a 12-hour debate, which saw the ruling NDA strongly defending the legislation as beneficial for minorities, while the opposition describing it as “anti-Muslim”.
The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by the opposition members were rejected by voice votes. It was passed after a division of votes — 288 in favour and 232 against.
In his reply to the debate, Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there is no place in the world safer than India for minorities, and they are safe because the majority is entirely secular.
He said even minuscule minority communities like the Parsis are safe in India, and all minorities here live with pride.
“Some members have said that minorities are not safe in India. This statement is completely false. There is no place safer than India for minorities. I am also a minority, and we all are living here without any fear and with pride,” he said after the debate on the Bill.
Earlier, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, defending the bill, asserted that “fear is being spread” that the Waqf bill interferes in religious matters, calling it a false narrative driven by vote bank politics. He emphasised that non-Muslims in Waqf councils and boards are included purely for administrative purposes, ensuring properties are managed according to their stated aims.
Shah also underlined that Waqf is a charitable institution where a person donates property for social, religious, or public welfare purposes without the right to reclaim it.
Participating in the debate, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the bill was aimed at polarisation and would damage India’s secular image. He alleged that the BJP introduced the bill to manage its “diminishing vote bank” and warned that it could backfire on the party. Yadav further claimed that the bill was a diversion tactic to shift focus from “land capture” by China.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi reiterated that the INDIA bloc would oppose the bill, calling it an attack on the Constitutional basic structure.
Launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after the bill was tabled, Gogoi accused the government of attempting to “defame and disenfranchise minorities” and staging what he described as a “4D assault on the Constitution” – diluting the Constitution, defaming minorities, disenfranchising them, and dividing Indian society.
He accused the government of attempting to dilute Waqf provisions, disenfranchise minorities, and divide Indian society. Initiating the debate, Gogoi also accused the government of misleading Parliament by referencing past discussions on the matter.
Hitting back, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the bill, arguing that numerous Waqf properties were being looted and misused. He insisted that the government had the authority to regulate Waqf matters and claimed that Gogoi failed to present a complete picture of constitutional provisions on the subject.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also spoke out against the Waqf Bill. During the debate Owaisi staged a symbolic protest against the Waqf Bill, drawing parallels to Mahatma Gandhi’s actions in South Africa.
“If you read history, you would see that he (Mahatma Gandhi) said about the laws of white South Africa, ‘My conscience doesn’t accept this’ and he tore it up. Like Gandhi, I am also tearing up this law. This is unconstitutional. The BJP wants to create divisiveness in this country in the name of temples and mosques. I condemn this and I request you to accept the 10 amendments,” he said.
His outburst was a reaction to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who, during the debate, had stated, “A member even said the minorities won’t even accept it. Who are you trying to scare? It’s the parliament’s law, everyone will follow and accept it”.
JPC Chief and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal defended the Bill during the debate, stating that there is “nothing unconstitutional” about it.
He also slammed Owaisi, saying, “Asaduddin Owaisi calls the bill unconstitutional, but he has done the unconstitutional thing by tearing up the bill,” and questioned his reason for doing so.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) announced its opposition to the bill and confirmed that its MPs would vote against it. The party’s stance comes amid protests from the Catholic Church, which criticised Kerala MPs for their position on the bill.
Union Minister Rijiju, citing limited time, gave a brief response to the debate, stating that the bill is “legal” and “constitutional”.
He also criticised the Opposition saying “You keep accusing us of appeasement politics. Who is doing appeasement?,” adding that minorities are safer in India than anywhere else.
