Govt tables Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha, seeks opposition's support

Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha, asserting that the proposed legislation is not against Muslims or intended to hurt their religious feelings, but seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address the complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management. The Bill aims to include all the Muslims sects in the Waqf board, Rijiju said. The minister informed the House that there were 4.9 lakh Waqf properties in 2004, which have now increased to 8.72 lakh. Seeking the opposition's support to pass the Bill, Rijiju said it aims to accomplish the unfulfilled tasks of the previous governments. He also said that Waqf owns the largest chunk of properties in the country, leaving aside those owned by defence and railways.

जो मुसलमान अपनी प्रॉपर्टी को ट्रस्ट के माध्यम से चलाना चाहते हैं, वो चला सकता है, उसके लिए कोई बंधन नहीं है। वक्फ एक्ट के अंदर यह पूरी छूट दी गई है। वक्फ बोर्ड वक्फ प्रॉपर्टी को सही तरीके से चला रहा है या नहीं, इसकी निगरानी रखने के लिए बनाया है, न कि प्रॉपर्टी को चलाने के लिए। pic.twitter.com/vWTt0znuhR

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Brushing aside the charges made by the opposition, Rijiju said, "The Bill is not against Muslims... We don't want to hurt anyone's religious sentiments. The Waqf board is set up only to oversee, and not manage, Waqf properties." "The government has introduced the Bill with a good intention, and thus renamed it as 'UMEED'. No one should have any problem with the name," he added.
The government proposes to rename the Waqf Bill as Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill with a 288-232 vote in the wee hours of Thursday after nearly 12 hours of debate.