"They have taken negative stand...": Mallikarjun Kharge attacks govt on Waqf Amendment Bill 2025

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday attacked the Union government after the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 and said that the government have 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.
Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said that the bill has been passed as the ruling party had the numbers.
"The bill has been passed as the ruling party had the numbers but the opposition also kept its views and there was discussion on the bill," Shukla said.
Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said, "In the JPC, various members voted against the bill and the bill has been passed by bulldozing those concerns. The NDA government will be removed from power in Bihar," Singh said.
DMK MP T Siva said, "The treasury bench has got 127 votes and we got 95...We don't feel it as a setback..."
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose said that it is a sad day for the Republic of India that today an openly anti-constitutional bill like the Waqf Amendment Bill has been passed
"It is a very sad day for the Republic of India that today an openly anti-constitutional bill like the Waqf Amendment Bill has been passed, which fundamentally erodes the individual freedom to practise religion...It is a sad day that this unconstitutional bill has been bulldozed in Parliament by the BJP. India cannot run through bulldozing and bulldozers. India can only be run when you take people together when you build consensus. This kind of bulldozer tactics cannot run India and it is a sad day that this unconstitutional bill has been passed," Ghose said.
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)