The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was approved in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after 11 hours of extensive discussion. This bill has also been passed by the Lok Sabha earlier. In the upper house, 128 votes were cast in favor of the bill and 95 against it. The bill aims to improve the structure of the Waqf Board and reduce the number of legal disputes.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, refuting the opposition’s allegations, claimed that the basic objective of the bill is to ensure proper management of waqf properties in a democratic manner. He accused the opposition of spreading misconceptions about the bill. All amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected and an amendment by DMK MP Tiruchi Siva fell despite a division vote.
In the public consultation process of this bill, 284 organizations were consulted at the national level and more than one crore suggestions were received. A limit of not more than three non-Muslims were included in the Waqf Board members, so that the interests of Muslims could be protected.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge called this bill a means of political gain and alleged that it is a conspiracy to weaken India’s diversity. At the same time, the budget of the Minority Department has decreased from 4,700 crores to 2,608 crores in the last five years, on which the opposition also raised questions.