'PM Modi stopped Waqf takeover of Parliament, airport lands': Kiren Rijiju

The Centre introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in Parliament today, amid protests from Muslim organisations, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly defended the Waqf Amendment Bill while presenting it in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, saying that the previous Congress-led government might have allocated Parliament and airport lands to the Waqf if the BJP had not assumed power in 2014.  

 

"The UPA government would have given the Parliament and airport lands to the Waqf. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped Parliament takeover by Waqf," Rijiju said amid opposition protests.  

 

#WATCH | After introducing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says "A case ongoing since 1970 in Delhi involved several properties, including the CGO Complex and the Parliament building. The Delhi Waqf Board had claimed these as Waqf… pic.twitter.com/qVXtDo2gK7

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2025

  The Bill, which proposes changes to the Waqf Act of 1995 — regulating the management of properties donated by Muslims — has become a point of contention between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition.

 

 

'Many Congress leaders privately back Waqf Bill', says Rijiju

 

Ahead of the tabling of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Rijiju said that several members of the opposition parties privately supported the Bill despite their public opposition.

 

"Those who are opposing it are doing so for political reasons. Many Congress leaders and opposition parties privately say that this bill is needed, but they're opposing it for vote bank," Rijiju said.

 

Emphasising the Bill’s significance, the minister said it was introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure with the objective of safeguarding the interests of the country’s poorest Muslims. He also accused the Waqf Board of misusing its power over the years, alleging that it had looted properties meant for the underprivileged. "People will remember this Bill," he added.

 

Rijiju further accused political parties and religious leaders of misleading "innocent Muslims," warning that such "misguidance will be exposed." Drawing parallels to the Opposition’s resistance against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he claimed that a false narrative had been created around it, suggesting it would strip Muslims of their citizenship, which never happened.  

 

Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024

 

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to enhance the management and administration of Waqf properties. However, the opposition parties have strongly criticised it, calling it "unconstitutional" and discriminatory towards Muslims. Initially introduced in August 2024, the Bill was met with intense protests from opposition leaders and various Muslim organisations, leading to its referral to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further examination.

 

(With agency inputs)