The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which introduces significant changes in regulating Waqf properties and dispute resolution, was passed in the Lok Sabha after a midnight vote on Wednesday. This came after an intense 12-hour debate, during which the Opposition accused the BJP-led NDA government of interfering in Muslim religious affairs, claiming it violated the Constitution. Union Home Minister Amit Shah dismissed these allegations, asserting that the Bill contains no provisions for government interference. Responding to the Opposition’s criticism, he reiterated that the government has no intention of meddling in the community’s religious matters.

He stated, “We are not scaring the Muslims; you are scaring the Muslims. I am saying that no citizen of this country, irrespective of religion, will be harmed,” accusing the Opposition of spreading “misconceptions” and “rumours” for political gain.

Shah and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who spoke at the beginning of the debate and later responded before the vote, stressed that the suggested reforms aimed to improve the welfare of needy Muslims and women.

Shah argued that “an illusion is being created that this Act is about interference in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and in their donated property… This is being done (by the Opposition) to create their vote bank by scaring the minorities.”

Citing various cases of waqf boards making land claims, he explained, “This Bill will provide protection to the lands… No one’s land will become waqf by a mere declaration… We will give protection to ASI land, land of tribals under Schedule 5 and Schedule 6 will be secured… private property of common citizens will also be protected… you will need ownership to donate to waqf… you can only donate your property, not the property of the village.”

Although he did not participate in the discussion, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi expressed his views in a post on X. He argued that the Bill serves as a tool to marginalise Muslims and undermine their personal laws and property rights. He stated, “This attack on the Constitution by the RSS, BJP and their allies is aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future. The Congress strongly opposes this legislation as it attacks the very idea of India and violates Article 25, the Right to Freedom of Religion.”

During the debate, Shah clarified that including non-Muslims in the waqf council and boards is solely for administrative purposes, ensuring that properties are managed according to their intended purpose. He firmly stated, “There will be no non-Islamic members in the waqf. Understand this clearly. Neither the ‘mutawalli’ will be non-Islamic nor the waqif will be non-Islamic. There is no provision for keeping a non-Muslim person in the religious institutions that are run. We do not even want to do it.”

He criticised “those who give big speeches that the right to equality is gone, that there is no equality between the two religions, that there will be interference in the religious rights of the Muslims”. Addressing concerns, he explained, “Where will non-Muslim members be… In the council and in the board. What is their job? Their job is not to run religious activities. It is purely the job of the council to regulate… to see whether the administration of the property donated by someone is running well or not, whether it is running according to the law or not, or whether the donation was given for the purpose of Islam… Is it being used for that purpose or not?”

Highlighting what he described as “irregularities,” Shah accused the UPA government of making waqf law “extreme” in 2013 for “appeasement” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He argued that if the law had not been altered, there might not have been a need for the present Bill.

Providing figures, he stated, “From 1913 to 2013, the total land belonging to the waqf board was 18 lakh acres. From 2013 to 2025… after the (2013) law was enacted… 21 lakh more acres of land became waqf property. Properties under the lease were 20,000, and in 2025, as per the records, it became zero… Where did the properties go? Were they sold? With whose permission?”

“They are saying don’t look into all this… This money belongs to the poor Muslims of the country; this is not for theft by some moneylenders. This has to be stopped… and their contractors sitting here, they talk loudly… They (the Opposition) feel they will gain the sympathy of Muslims and strengthen their vote bank by opposing the Bill. You will not gain anything,” Shah stated. “I want to clarify that the government does not want to interfere in waqf,” he further stated.

BJP members criticised the Opposition, accusing them of engaging in minority appeasement, violating constitutional principles, and enabling large-scale corruption under the guise of waqf property management.

While tabling the Bill, Rijiju stated, “We have allowed Shia, Sunni, backward Muslims, women and expert non-Muslims to be part of the Waqf Board…. There can be four non-Muslims in it. And there have to be two women. Look at the Waqf Boards until now. Where are the women?”

Shah and Rijiju accused the UPA government of transferring 123 properties in Delhi to the Waqf Board just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as part of its “vote bank politics.” However, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, speaking immediately after the minister, called this claim misleading.

“In 2013, it was provided that any person, of any religion, could create a waqf. This diluted the original Act. Then, it was provided that there could be only Shias in the Shia Waqf Board and only Sunnis in the Sunni Waqf Board. One provision was brought under Section 108 that the Waqf Board would override any law of the land. How is this acceptable?” Rijiju stated. “Cases were going on since 1970. The CGO complex, etc., were claimed by the Waqf Board. The UPA government denotified 123 properties and gave them to the Waqf Board. Even the Parliament building where we are sitting was being claimed. Had the Modi government not come to power, all these would have been given away,” he further stated.

Rejecting allegations that the Centre was interfering in Muslim religious practices, Rijiju stated, “The government is not interfering in any religious practice or institution. There is no provision in this to interfere in the management of any mosque. This is simply an issue of management of a property.” He referred to court judgments to argue that managing waqf properties is a secular matter unrelated to religion. Later, in his response, Rijiju dismissed the Opposition’s claim that the Bill was “unconstitutional.” He explained that removing the “waqf by user” provision was not against the Muslim religion but was a deliberate step to reduce disputes caused by inadequate documentation.

BJP leader Anurag Thakur added that several Christian and Muslim organisations supported the Bill. He asserted that waqf management needed reform, claiming it had become a centre for corruption. Criticising Congress’s handling of waqf boards, he remarked, “Khaata na bahee, jo Waqf kahe wahi sahi (No book of accounts, whatever the waqf says is correct).”

Expressing his support for the Bill, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad argued, “The Waqf Board is not a religious body; it is just a statutory body. The mutawalli is just a manager. I will quote from M Hidayatullah, a legal luminary, to prove this. As per him, the mutawalli is just a manager. So, should the Centre be quiet when such misuse is happening?” He further questioned, “I want to ask how many schools and hospitals were built on Waqf property? How many orphanages were made? If good funding comes due to this (to be passed) Act, why do they have a problem? They have a problem because of politics. They also created a ruckus after the Shah Bano judgment of the Supreme Court… Rajiv Gandhi reversed the Shah Bano verdict through Parliament,” accusing the Congress of engaging in minority appeasement.