Waqf Bill row: Lalu Yadav's 2010 speech resurfaces, fuels BJP vs RJD clash

As Parliament clears the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, an old video of Lalu Yadav demanding stricter Waqf laws resurfaces, sparking a fresh political clash between BJP and RJD

As the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed in Parliament today, an old video of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has resurfaced, sparking political debate. The clip, dated May 7, 2010, shows Yadav raising concerns about land encroachments linked to Waqf properties and calling for stricter laws to prevent misuse.  

 

What Lalu Yadav said in 2010 

In the viral video, Yadav is seen speaking in the Lok Sabha, saying, “Look, there should be a very strict law. All the land has been grabbed — whether it's government land or private land, or land belonging to those who worked there. Everything has been sold off. Prime land. It’s not like it was agricultural land. All the property near Patna’s Dak Bungalow has been turned into apartments. Everyone has looted. From now on... well, today, go ahead and bring this, we will pass your amendment. But going forward, whatever process is being created, it must be done strictly.”  

 

 

The video was shared by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on social media, drawing attention to what many see as a contradiction between Lalu’s past and RJD's current stance on the Waqf Bill.   

लालू यादव जी ने 2010 में संसद में स्वीकार किया था कि Waqf Board में जमीन कब्जा के नाम पर भारी लूट-पाट चल रहा है।#WaqfBoard #WaqfAmendmentBill pic.twitter.com/hibg68pULH

— Samrat Choudhary (@samrat4bjp) April 2, 2025

  Tejashwi Yadav calls it ‘unconstitutional’ 

Despite Lalu Yadav’s 2010 statement, his party has strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, speaking to ANI on Tuesday, slammed the legislation, calling it unconstitutional.

 

“This is an unconstitutional Bill. We are people who believe in the Constitution. People of BJP want to impose ‘Nagpur ka kanoon’; that is not at all acceptable to us. We believe in ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’, the diversity of our country is the beauty of it,” he said.

 

Tejashwi further said that RJD has opposed the Bill in both Houses of Parliament, as well as in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Council. “We will oppose it even in the time to come. Such a Bill will never be acceptable to us. Despite his health condition, Lalu ji joined the protest,” he said.  

 

What the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 proposes 

Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, defended the amendments, saying they aim to ensure transparency and accountability in managing Waqf properties.  

 

Rijiju announced that the Bill will now be renamed the Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill, and it seeks to correct previous amendments that gave the Waqf Act overriding power over other laws.  

 

He also accused the Congress government of denotifying 123 properties and handing them over to the Waqf Board, warning that without this amendment, even the Parliament building could have been claimed as Waqf property.  

 

“The Bill does not seek to snatch land or mosques of the Muslim community. It does not apply retrospectively,” Rijiju said.

 

Manjhi urges Opposition to ‘listen to Lalu’ 

Adding to the political storm, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi targeted the Opposition, urging them to reconsider their stance.

 

“Some people are opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill only because this law is being brought by the government led by Narendra Modi ji. By the way, in 2010, Lalu Prasad ji had talked about making strict laws for Waqf. I urge the INDIA alliance to listen carefully to Lalu ji’s words and vote in favour of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 in the House,” he said.