New Delhi [India], April 2 : Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP, questioning its delay in selecting a national president. Responding sharply, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the BJP follows a democratic process involving crores of members, unlike other parties, where leadership is decided by family members.
Speaking at Lok Sabha Yadav said, "The party that calls itself the world's largest party has not yet been able to choose its national president."
While speaking in the Lok Sabha, he criticized the BJP, asserting that the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill was introduced to divert attention from the government's shortcomings. "Every time the BJP brings in a new bill, it is an attempt to conceal their failures," he remarked.
Responding to Yadav's remarks, Amit Shah defended the BJP's selection process, asserting that the party operates on democratic principles.
"All the parties in front of me, their national president, will be chosen by only some family members. We have to choose from 12-13 crore members after a process. So it takes time. In your case, it will not take much time. I am saying that you will remain president for 25 years..."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha took up for consideration the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which incorporates suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee that examined the bill tabled in Parliament in August last year. The House also took up the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, for consideration and passing.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the two bills for passing in the House.
Congress member KC Venugopal accused the government of trying to bulldoze the bill, saying that they had not been given enough time to move their amendments."You are bulldozing the legislation, you need to give time for the amendments, their no time for amendments," he said.
Speaker Om Birla said that he had given equal consideration to the amendments of the government and the opposition members.
With RSP's NK Premachandran raising some objections to the procedure adopted by the government over the bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the union cabinet had approved the amendments which had been incorporated in the bill. He said the amendments were based on the JPC report. "There is no point of order," he said.
Rijiju told the media earlier that the bill is in the interest of the country.
"Today is a historic day, and today, the Waqf Amendment Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha. This bill is being introduced in the interest of the country. Not only crores of Muslims but the whole country will support it. Those who are opposing it are doing so for political reasons," he said.
The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha in August last year, and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and 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.