New Delhi [India], April 2 : Accusing Congress of indulging in politics of "appeasement and casteism", Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said there is no provision in the Waqf Amendment Bill to include any non-Muslim among those who manage the religious institutions.
Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Amit Shah said a misconception is sought to be created that the legislation will interfere with the religious conduct of Muslims and interfere with the property donated by them.
"Waqf Act and Board came into effect in 1995. All the arguments about the inclusion of non-Muslims inclusion are about interference in the Waqf. First of all, no non-Muslim would come into the Waqf. Understand this clearly...There is no such provision to include any non-Muslim among those who manage the religious institutions; we do not want to do this...This is a huge misconception that this Act will interfere with the religious conduct of Muslims and interfere with the property donated by them. This misconception is being spread to instil fear among minorities for their vote bank," he said.
"You (Opposition) would break this country...Through this House, I would like to tell Muslims of the country that not even one non-Muslim would come into your Waqf. This Act has no such provision. But what would the Waqf Board and Waqf Council do? To catch the people selling off Waqf properties and drive them out, to catch those who lease off their properties for 100 years in the name of Waqf. The income of Waqf is dropping, the income with which we have to do development for minority and push them forward, that money is being stolen. Waqf Board and Council will catch that," he added.
Amit Shah said that a person can donate only property that belongs to him and cannot donate property which belongs to the government or any other individual.
He said changes have been made only in provisions related to Council and Board in the 1995 Act, which deal with administrative tasks.
"Where will non-Muslim members be included? In Council and Waqf Board. What would they do? They won't run any religious activity. They would only look after the administration of property donated by someone under Waqf Law, whether it is being done as per law, whether the property is being used for the intent with which it was donated," he added.
Targeting Congress, he said the party-led UPA government handed over 123 VVIP properties in Lutyens Delhi to Waqf when Lok Sabha elections were just round the corner.
"Had Waqf not been amended in 2013, this (Amendment Bill) Bill would not have been needed. Everything was going well. But there were elections in 2014, and overnight in 2013, the Waqf Act was turned extreme for appeasement. As a result, Congress government handed over 123 VVIP properties in Lutyens Delhi to Waqf when elections were just round the corner, just 25 days away," he said.
He said 18 lakh acres were under the Waqf Board from 1913 to 2013, but from 2013 to 2025, an additional 21 lakh acres of land were added.
"Delhi Waqf Board announced Northern Railway's land as Waqf land. In Himachal, illegal mosques were built after the land being named after Waqf land. In Tamil Nadu, the Waqf announced 400 acres of land from the 1500-year-old temple as Waqf land," Amit Shah said.
Amit Shah also took a jibe at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, whose party is part of the INDIA bloc.
"When amendments to the Waqf were introduced in 2013, Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that he wanted a strict law and wanted to put those in jail who were stealing. Narendra Modi has fulfilled Lalu Prasad Yadav's wishes," the Home Minister said.
He said the changes in Waqf Board and Waqf Council were aimed at better management of Waqf properties.
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 said.
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 the Lok Sabha in August last year and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995. The Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It 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.