Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 2 : Congress MLA and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) executive member Arif Masood said that the board has rejected the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and would never accept it.
Arif Masood said, "This black law is going to be passed today. The way in which Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar have supported it, it will definitely be passed, but no minority person will accept this black law. In this Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Muslims or the waqf board is not getting any support. There is nothing that could say that the properties of Waqf will be preserved. They are going to give the power to the Collector who declared our graveyards as government land. This is only to harass a particular community and All India Muslim Personal Law Board has rejected it and will not accept this."
He further said that the BJP is talking about the welfare of those women who are sponsored and have more faith in the BJP than in God.
"If any Congress of Muslim leader has illegally grabbed waqf property then then can bulldoze it we will accept that. Who has been in power at the Centre for the last 10 years?" he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Wednesday, rejected Opposition members' criticism that the government wants to interfere in the religious conduct of Muslims through the Waqf Amendment Bill and said that the provisions in the legislation aim at better management of Waqf properties.
Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Amit Shah said that the bill would not be implemented with retrospective effect and Opposition members were trying to mislead and create fear among members of Muslim community.
"I stand in support of the Bill introduced by my ministerial colleague. I have been carefully hearing the discussion going on since 12 noon. I feel that there are several misconceptions among several Members, either genuinely or politically. Also, through this House, attempts are being made to spread those misconceptions across the country," he said.
Moving the bill for passing in the House, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the bill will not be applicable retrospectively and the Centre is not seeking more powers.
"When our country has the largest Waqf property in the world, why hasn't it been used for the education, medical treatment, skill development, and income generation of poor Muslims? Why has no progress been made in this regard so far?" Rijiju asked.
Along with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Rijiju also moved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.
The bill was earlier presented in Lok Sabha last August, and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
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 law and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.