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Kerala Leader of Opposition and Congress leader VD Satheesan on Friday strongly criticized the Waqf Amendment Bill, calling it an "intrusion into a religion" and accusing the Centre of pushing a "Sangh Parivar agenda."
Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday after the marathon and heated debate in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. It now awaits President Droupadi Murmu's assent to become an act. Satheesan emphasized that both the Congress and the INDIA bloc have opposed it in Parliament, stressing the need to protect minority rights. "Congress party and the INDIA bloc have opposed the bill in both houses of the Parliament. This is an intrusion into a religion. This is a Sangha parivar agenda, we need to protect minority rights," Satheesan told ANI. Rajya Sabha sat beyond Thursday midnight to pass the legislation. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed." Lok Sabha, which took up discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate with 288 MPs voted in favour of the Bill while 232 against it. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has approached the Supreme Court against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025. Congress Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Jawed also moved the SC against the bill. 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)
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