Following its passage in the Lok Sabha, the Waqf Bill has now been approved by the Rajya Sabha as well. Shahnawaz Hussain has revealed that he is receiving a barrage of threats via social media because of his support for the Waqf Bill and his alignment with the government stance. However, Hussain asserts that he remains undeterred by these threats or any abusive language.
On the other hand, Chirag Paswan has accused the opposition of spreading confusion about the Waqf Bill. He mentioned that the opposition is only working to muddle the issue, much like it did during the CAA debate, as time revealed that no one's citizenship was threatened. Nevertheless, the opposition persists in spreading falsehoods to instill fear within the Muslim community.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday after a debate that lasted over 12 hours. A total of 128 votes were cast in favor of the bill, while 95 opposed. It will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her approval before becoming law.
Previously, on Thursday, the Lok Sabha approved the bill following a debate also exceeding 12 hours, with 288 MPs supporting and 232 opposing it. During the Rajya Sabha discussions, NDA members and leaders of the India Bloc engaged in heated exchanges.
During the Rajya Sabha debate, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized that the bill included several amendments based on feedback from diverse stakeholders. Clarifying the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board, he stated, "The Waqf board is a statutory body, and all government entities should be secular in nature." However, he pointed out that the number of non-Muslims is limited to just four out of 22 members.
Rijiju additionally accused parties like Congress and other opposition factions of using the Waqf Bill to instill fear among Muslims, not the BJP. He commented, "You (the opposition) are marginalizing Muslims from the mainstream." He noted that despite governing for 60 years, Congress and others have done little for Muslims, leaving them struggling with poverty.
