Lok Sabha passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 after extensive 12-hour debate

Lok Sabha

After discussions spanning almost twelve hours, the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeking to amend the Waqf Act of 1995. The bill is expected to address key issues pertaining to regulating and managing Waqf properties across the country.

In his final rebuttal, Union minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the often used expression 'minorities in danger', saying India is the only country where the government is leaving no stone unturned to safeguard the rights of the minorities. "I am from the minority community, but the Modi government has given be equal chance to coexist with the mainstream," remarked Rijiju.

Earlier in the day, Union minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the Waqf Amendment Bill in the lower house. While tabling the legislation, which was examined and redrafted by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Rijiju said the legislation has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties.

While the bill aims to streamline the administration and governance of Waqf properties, it sparked intense opposition from the INDIA alliance, which argued that it undermines constitutional values. Despite this, the bill found support among several of the BJP’s key allies, including Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) [LJP(RV)], Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Shiv Sena.

The bill received backing from prominent BJP allies, who have emphasized its benefits for minority communities and the efficient management of Waqf assets.

Earlier in the evening, Union home minister Amit Shah, intervening during the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, presented a long list of properties that he said were given for Waqf. The list included land belonging to temples, other religions, the government and others.

Shah said: "You cannot donate someone else's property. You donate something which is yours".  It was a reinforcement of the government's contention that major lands and properties have been taken over by Waqf, there were last-minute saves in case of others. The Waqf, the government maintained, has become a ruse for land-grabbing.