After more than 11 hours of tense face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government and the Opposition parties, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed post midnight on April 4, with 288 voting in favour of the bill and 232 in opposition. The Bill will be taken up in the Upper House, Rajya Sabha, on Thursday before it is sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent to become a law.
The Modi government on Wednesday presented the Waqf Bill in Parliament that will allow changes in the management of vast tracts of land set aside solely for the use of the Muslim community for charitable purposes. The land and properties fall under the "waqf" category, which essentially means "to stay" in Arabic, and are endowed by the community for religious, educational or charitable purposes. This land, as per the existing law, cannot be transferred or sold.

What does the amended Waqf bill say?

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, tabled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, proposes inclusion of non-Muslim members in the central waqf council and waqf boards. This will also enable the government to determine ownership of disputed waqf properties.

Showdown in Lok Sabha

Calling the move “pro-Muslim reform”, Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, while tabling the bill, said it would end corruption, mismanagement in the waqf boards and council, and it will examine ownership rules largely controlled by some Muslim elites. He said that the Waqf Bill will be renamed as Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill.
Tabling the Bill, 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.
"The government has no intention of interfering with any religious institution. The changes made to the Waqf law by the previous UPA government gave it priority over other laws, which is why these new amendments are necessary," Rijiju said, amid loud opposition protests. He added, "You (the opposition) are misleading the public on issues that are not related to the Waqf Bill."
The Union Minister for Minority Affairs said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) received over 97.27 lakh petitions and memorandums, both physically and online, all of which were reviewed before finalising the report. He also mentioned that 284 delegations shared their views on the Bill, along with the Waqf boards from 25 states and Union Territories.
The BJP put up a strong show with support from key allies like the TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena and the Lthe ok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Responding to the debate, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called the Bill an attack on the basic structure of the Constitution, with the goal to dilute its provisions, defame the minorities, disenfranchise them and further divide the Indian society. He said that the Bill is opposed being opposed by the INDIA bloc, an alliance of Opposition parties.

Amit Shah Attacks Opposition

As the Opposition kept on vociferously opposing the Bill, the Union Home Minister asserted that the vote bank is being created by intimidating minorities and spreading confusion in the country against the Bill. He clarified that non-Muslims in Waqf council and boards are meant purely for ensuring the administration of properties by stated aims.
The Union Home Minister also accused the Opposition of "fear-mongering" over the Bill's provisions.

As the discussion was underway, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said, "The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights. 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 party strongly opposes this legislation as it attacks the very idea of India and violates Article 25, the Right to Freedom of Religion."

Owaisi Tears Bill in Lok Sabha as Symbolic Protest

Meanwhile, in a symbolic protest, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tore a copy of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, invoking Mahatma Gandhi
During a debate on the controversial Bill, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi drew a comparison to Mahatma Gandhi’s stance in South Africa. He pointed out that Gandhi had rejected the discriminatory laws of white South Africa, famously saying, “My conscience doesn’t accept this,” before tearing up the law.
In the end, replying to the nearly 12-hour long debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Rijiju said that there is no place in the world safer than India for minorities.
According to a Reuters report, Government and Muslim organisations estimate that over 25 waqf boards hold nearly 85,1535 properties and 900,000 acres of land, putting them among the top three landowners in India. A 2006 report by the government-appointed Sachar Committee had urged an overhaul of waqf boards and monitoring of properties to generate higher returns for the Muslim community.