"Pseudo-seculars, hardliner Maulanas tricking Muslims": Dara Shikoh Foundation celebrates passage of Waqf Amendment Bill

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 4 (ANI): After the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in Rajya Sabha, workers of the Dara Shikoh Foundation were seen distributing sweets and bursting crackers, saying that the bill would be helpful in the development for Pasmanda Muslims.

Dara Shikoh Foundation President Mohammad Amir Rashid said that the amendments to the Waqf Act would prove to be beneficial in the development of "poor and Pasmanda" Muslims.
"The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 has been passed in the Rajya Sabha and the poor and Pasmanda Muslims are very happy... The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 has brought a new ray of hope... We burst crackers, lit candles, and distributed sweets. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, will open new doors of development for Muslims," Rashid told ANI.
He took a dig at "pseudo-seculars" and "hardliner" Maulanas opposing the bill, saying that they were trying to "trick" Muslims.
"The pseudo-seculars and kattar (hardliner) Maulanas are trying to trick the Muslims. I have a small appeal that Muslims should recognise their reality and that of Waqf. The Waqf amendment bill will open doors for the development of Muslims," Rashid added.
On Friday, Rajya Sabha, leader of the opposition, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the union government after the parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025, saying that the government had taken a "negative stand."
"It is their interpretation, we kept our views on the bill in front of them (government). They have taken a negative stand, and they are taking it forward," Kharge told reporters.
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan said that it is "unfortunate" that the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 has been passed.
"The bill is not in the best interests of the nation, constitution...The intention with which they have made amendments to the waqf amendment bill shows that they are not helping. They are just targeting a particular community...The bill is not right," Ranjan added.
The Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a marathon and heated debate.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed."
The House sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition parties of trying to mislead people on the Waqf Amendment Bill and said it will benefit crores of people from the Muslim community.
Replying to the over 12-hour-long debate on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said several suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee had been incorporated in the revised bill.
Rijiju said that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, will be renamed as the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill.
Lok Sabha, which took up discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate.
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.
The Bill 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. (ANI)