‘Musalmanon ko dusre darje ka shehri banana maqsad hai:’ Muslim MPs slam BJP govt over ‘unconstitutional’ Waqf Bill

About a dozen Opposition Members of Parliament (MP) from the Muslim community spoke against the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday-Thursday. In unison, these MPs said that the legislation undermined the Muslim community’s rights, gave the government a handle to control the Waqfs and deepened religious divides.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi led the Muslim leaders’ charge against the Bill. Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP, symbolically tore up a copy of the Bill, asserting that its motive was to make Muslims “second-class citizens”.

“Yeh bill ka maqsad sirf muslamanun ko zaleel aur ruswa karna hai, musalmanon ko dusre darje ka shehri banane ka in ka maksad hai (The objective of this Bill is to insult and humiliate Muslims and make Muslims second-class citizens),” Owaisi, the most vocal voice against the Bill said. Owaisi said the BJP is looking to trigger clashes in the country in the name of temples and mosques.

The Lok Sabha passed the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025in the wee hours of April 3, after over a 12-hour debate. The ruling NDA members strongly defended the legislation as beneficial for minorities, while the opposition described it as “anti-Muslim” during the debate.

The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by the opposition members were rejected by voice votes. It was passed after a division of votes – 288 in favour and 232 against.

The leaders flagged many provisions of the Bill, including allowing only those who have been practising Muslims for at least five years to allocate their property to Waqf. Congress’s Imran Masood asked the government how it would define a “practising Muslim”.

“What is your definition? All Muslims do not offer namaz five times, all Muslims do not observe roza. What will be the criteria?” he said.

Earlier, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, also raised the issue in Lok Sabha. The Jorhat MP said that the words “showing or demonstrating ” in Section 3(r)(A) of the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 means that a person has to show a certificate to proof his religion to the government.

“Now we have to show a certificate to show which religion we believe in.[ab Dharm ka certificate dena padega].Will they [government] ask for such a certificate from people belonging to different religions — whether you have been practising that religion for five years or now…why is this provision included in this bill only?,” Gogoi asked.

Opens the door to legal tussles

Masood also said that of the 22 members in the Waqf council, 12 would be non-Muslims, giving them a majority. He said there is a clause that says that if a district magistrate is a Muslim, a junior or a senior officer will be the ex-officio chairman. “The Bill opens the door to legal tussles involving Waqf properties,” Masood, the Congress MP from Saharanpur said. Samajwadi Party’s Rampur MP Mohibbullah also said that the objective of this Bill is to “weaken the institution of Waqf.”

ET Mohammed Basheer, an IUML MP from Kerala, targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming he was pretending to help minorities. Basheer said the government was undermining all statutory bodies. Congress’s Mohammad Jawed said the Bill aimed to bring Waqf institutions under government control. “The changes being made in the clauses will lead to conflicts.

Iqra Choudhary, the Samajwadi Party MP pointed to the government’s assertion of Muslim women getting representation on the Waqf boards.

“Muslim women have been members of the boards before this law. There was provision of a minimum two, and more could have been members. What new thing has the government done?” she asked, calling the provision “tokenism”.

Congress stabs Muslims

Independent MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh from Kashmir, however, asked the Muslim community to examine how many hospitals, universities, colleges and schools were built by Waqf boards. Targeting the Congress, he said: “The world knows that BJP openly reminds Muslims of their status. But the Congress stabs Muslims after dipping a dagger in the sweet juice of secularism.”