"Proven they've completely abandoned Hindutva and ideals of Balasaheb": Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray on Waqf Bill

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 3 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing him of abandoning Hindutva and Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology.
Speaking to the media, Shinde called it their "biggest crime."
"By opposing this, UBT has revealed its true face. It has been proven that they have completely abandoned Hindutva and the ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray. This is extremely unfortunate. It is a bigger crime than the betrayal in 2019 when he (Uddhav Thackeray) formed a government with Congress in 2019, forsaking Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology," Eknath Shinde said.
He further criticised Thackeray's leadership, calling him "confused".
"Uddhav Thackeray is completely confused. He doesn't even know what decisions to take. When leadership becomes like this, the future of the party is also in darkness," he said.
Further, the Maharashtra DyCM asserted that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 aims to end the monopoly of a select few over Waqf properties while alleging that Congress wants to keep the poor in poverty.
"The Waqf Board was in the hands of a handful of people, but now, with the bill introduced by Modi ji, their dominance will end. This will provide an opportunity for women and children to come into the mainstream. It will benefit the poor sections of the Muslim community, but Congress wants to keep Muslims poor for the sake of votes," Shinde said.
Earlier in the day, Uddhav Thackeray slammed the "all show, no substance" Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government. He said that his party opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and also the hypocrisy of the BJP and its "plans to give lands to businessmen friends".
Standing firm on his opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill, Thackeray acknowledged that a few rectifications were "good". However, he added, the BJP was all show and no substance since they repealed Article 370 and didn't manage to get Kashmiri Pandits their lands.
"There are some corrections (for the Waqf board) in the Waqf amendment bill, which are good. However, the experience with the BJP till now is that yanche dakhwayeche daant ani khayeche daant vegde ahe (all show, no substance) ...We supported them during the repeal of Article 370...But I want to ask, did the Kashmiri Pandits get their land? We not only opposed the bill but also the hypocrisy and corruption of the BJP and its plans to give land to its businessmen friends," Thackeray, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said during a press conference.
On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 after a marathon and heated debate, during which members of the INDIA bloc fiercely opposed the legislation while the BJP and its allies strongly supported it, saying it would bring transparency and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards.
The Lower House of Parliament sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation. Speaker Om Birla later announced the division's result. "Subject to correction, Ayes 288, Noes 232. The majority is in favour of the proposal," he said.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of Waqf properties in India.
It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju today moved a motion for consideration of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill of 2025 and the Musalmaan Wakf (Repeal) Bill in the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)