Waqf Bill introduced in Lok Sabha; voting will decide which party is secular, says Sibal

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tabled the in the Lok Sabha amid sloganeering from the Opposition. An eight-hour discussion on the bill, subject to an increase, is scheduled.

The Opposition claimed that the Centre is "" and alleged there would given for amendments since the Bill was brought to the notice of the House. Earlier in the day, Rijiju called Wednesday a "historic day" as the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Rijiju emphasised that the Bill, which aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, is in the national interest and will benefit the entire country, especially Muslims, women, and children.

Speaking to the media ahead of the parliamentary proceedings, Rijiju stated, "Today is a historic day, as the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 will be presented in the Lok Sabha. I want to make it very clear that this bill, introduced in the national interest, will be supported not only by millions of Muslims but by the entire country. We are committed to any initiative that benefits the nation, especially for the welfare of poor Muslims, women, and children. Those opposing the bill are doing so for political reasons. I will present the rest of my arguments in the House."

The Waqf Amendment Bill is designed to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to ostensibly address existing challenges and improve the management of Waqf properties in India. The Bill aims to streamline the Waqf Board’s functions, ensuring the efficient administration of these properties.

The Union government first announced the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 on Tuesday, revealing that the Bill would be tabled in the Lok Sabha shortly after Question Hour. The Bill will be followed by a detailed debate lasting up to eight hours.

The Bill builds on the 2024 Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, which were introduced with similar objectives. The government is hopeful that the amendments in legislation will pass with wide support across the political spectrum, though has come from several quarters.

Former Union law minister Kapil Sibal came out all guns blazing against the Centre over the Waqf Bill on Wednesday, accusing it of singling out a particular community and devising ways to target it for electoral gains. Speaking to media ahead of the introduction of the Waqf Bill in the Lok Sabha, Sibal said the BJP-led government has a single point agenda behind this Bill, and that is to target and harass Muslims.

He listed out many policies of the Centre, including the Uniform Civil Code, 'love jihad', and bulldozer justice, and said the government was using them as 'tools' to target Muslims. He said the voting on the Waqf Bill would show which party is secular and which one is working with a motivated agenda.

“It has to be seen how , including Nitish, Naidu and Paswan’s party vote on the Waqf Bill. Nitish’s JD(U) has its electoral compulsions because of the imminent assembly elections in Bihar and may opt to walk out. Chirag Paswan’s LNJP may adopt the same strategy to give the BJP mileage in the numbers game,” he said. “Naidu’s TDP objected to one of the clauses of the Bill which entrusts district collector with the power to decide the nature of land. But, this is not enough.”

Sibal, one of the nation's foremost lawyers, also questioned the Modi government for not bringing reforms in Hinduism. “I want to ask PM Modi — why doesn’t he want to bring reforms in the Hindu religion? Why do you maintain silence when religious places of minorities are targeted? In the Hindu code bill, women are denied the right to property because of a certain will; how can they be denied equal opportunity?” he asked.

He also said the reforms, including triple talaq, were a good and progressive step, but it should be uniform. “The reforms should be uniform for all and not selective against any community. This is against the spirit of the country’s democracy and constitution,” he said.

Sibal also criticised the government over the inclusion of people from different faiths in the Waqf Board. He also claimed that PM Narendra Modi had made big promises, but today, his governance has been reduced to and love jihad.

“Why have bigger issues of development like smart cities, climate change, economic growth and others been put on the backburner?” he asked. “Religion-based politics won’t yield any substantial result, it will only spread hatred. This will only create anarchy and derail constitutional principles.”

With IANS inputs