AIMPLB spokesperson Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas strongly opposes the Waqf Amendment Bill, threatening a nationwide peaceful agitation if passed. He calls the bill discriminatory and accuses the JPC of ignoring opposition concerns.
"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing this bill as it will help poor Muslims. Those who considered Waqf properties as their 'baap ki jaagir' would get under control. This bill should have been brought much before," Khan told ANI.
JD(U) Member of Parliament Sanjay Jha expressed his party's concern, stating that the bill should not be retrospective. He mentioned that if their concerns were addressed in the bill, they would support it.
Deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi will open the argument on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, from the side of the opposition after Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tables the bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with all Lok Sabha MPs of the Congress Parliamentary Party ahead of the Waqf Bill tabling in Parliament.
Further, the Union Minister said that the same people who were misleading the innocent Muslims on the Waqf Bill had said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would take away the citizenship of the Muslims.
This comes as the parliament is set to convene again today. The legislative business suggests that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will move the Waqf Amendment Bill of 2025, which aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, for passing.
Samajwadi Party MP and leader Akhilesh Yadav criticises the Waqf Bill, claiming it is part of a broader pattern of land sales by the BJP. BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal defends the bill, claiming it benefits poor Muslims. Opposition expresses concerns over constitutional issues.
Ahead of the tabling of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain on Wednesday performed puja and hailed the bill as a significant step forward, noting key changes such as the deletion of the 'Waqf by user' definition and amendments aligning the concept of Waqf with Islamic law
Congress MP Sukhdev Bhagat on Wednesday called the bill "evil in the name of reform," claiming that it was being introduced with a spirit of vengeance.