Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025in Rajya Sabha a day after they were passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid strong Opposition protest.
Intitiating a debate, the minister said, "We consulted with state governments, minority commissions, and Waqf boards before introducing this bill in Parliament.
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was formed, consisting of representatives from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Despite some concerns regarding the JPC's consultations, the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday after extensive discussions."
Rijiju highlighted the vast scale of Waqf properties in India.
"As of today, there are 8.72 lakh Waqf properties. In 2006, the Sachar Committee estimated the earnings from 4.9 lakh Waqf properties at Rs 12,000 crore. One can only imagine the income these properties must be generating now," he said.
He also urged the Congress and its allies to support the Waqf Amendment Bill. "I would like to appeal to the Congress and other parties to come forward and support this bill," he said.
On Wednesday, Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after over 12 hours of heated debate between the ruling NDA and the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.
The bill was cleared with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.