Parliament Braces For NDA And INDI Bloc Face-Off As Waqf Bill Goes To Lok Sabha Floor On Wednesday

Last Updated:April 01, 2025, 23:18 IST

Lok Sabha members will speak on the bill for eight hours– 4.40 hours for the ruling Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 3.20 hours for the opposition

Waqf Bill: Representative image of Parliament

The Lok Sabha is likely to witness stormy scenes on Wednesday as the House will take up the contentious Waqf amendment bill for consideration and passage. Introduced last year, the bill was subsequently referred to a joint parliamentary committee following staunch opposition from INDIA bloc.

Lok Sabha members will speak on the bill for eight hours– 4.40 hours for the ruling Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 3.20 hours for the opposition. Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will bring a motion to introduce the bill with the revised amendments. After the debate, Rijiju will respond to the debate and seek the approval of the House for its passage.

The INDIA bloc on Tuesday announced that it will oppose the bill while BJP allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (U) have thrown their weights behind the government.

As Waqf Bill Enters Parliament On Wednesday, Busting Some Popular Myths

At the business advisory committee (BAC) meeting on Tuesday, the opposition sought 12 hours for discussion. However, the government insisted on less time so that other legislative business could also be taken up. This led to a heated exchange in the meeting between the government and opposition side, leading to a walkout by the opposition.

Later, talking to reporters Rijiju said some parties wanted four to six hours while the opposition insisted on 12 hours.

Government sources say that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to speak during the debate. 

BJP MPs Jagdambika Pal, Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey, Justice (retired) Abhijit Ganguly, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, and Tejasvi, Surya will speak on the bill in the Lower House while Sudhanshu Trivedi, Bhagwat Karad, Medha Kulkarni, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and Brij Lal will put forth the party’s view in Rajya Sabha. 

Waqf Bill To Clear Parliament Hurdle Easily

The political heat and length of the debate are unlikely to have any bearing on the final outcome as the numbers favour the ruling BJP-led Democratic Alliance (NDA) in both houses of Parliament. 

The opposition has a lower strength in the Lok Sabha, where the NDA has 293 MPs out of a current strength of 542. The BJP has often succeeded in pulling the support of independent members and parties.

Currently, the Rajya Sabha’s strength stands at 236 so the ruling NDA needs 119 MPs for a majority. But the NDA does not need to worry as it has 123 MPs, including the BJP’s 98, four of the JD(U), two of the TDP, three of the NCP, and one of the RLD in Jayant Chaudhary.

However, things could get interesting if there’s cross-voting.

All major parties have issued a whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha, ensuring their presence in the House for the next three days.

Since the Modi government relies heavily on support of Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP in Parliament, some opposition leaders still feel these leaders will oppose the bill. However, three-line whip by JDU and TDP indicate they will support the bill. 

Meanwhile, Sanjay Jha, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) from the JDU, said his party has requested ally BJP to not implement the Waqf law retrospectively.

“Our party had said that it should not be implemented with retrospective effect, and we hope that the government will consider it… As long as Nitish Kumar is in politics, interests of the people will be protected," Jha said.

Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Lalu Yadav’s RJD and the Left parties have announced to oppose the bill in the Parliament.

Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi alleged that their voices were being ignored and said the opposition parties wanted more time to debate. They also wanted the House to take up more issues, including the situation in Manipur and the row over electors’ photo identity cards.

What Is In Waqf Bill?

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, were introduced in the Lok Sabha last year with an aim to streamline the Waqf Board’s work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties.

The objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties. The Amendment 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 by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records​.

The primary objective of the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, is to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, a colonial-era legislation that has become outdated and inadequate for managing waqf properties in modern India. The repeal aims to ensure uniformity, transparency, and accountability in the administration and management of waqf properties under the Waqf Act, 1995, thus eliminating inconsistencies and ambiguities caused by the continued existence of this redundant law​

What Govt & Opposition Said On Waqf Bill?

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was the chairman of the JPC which deliberated on the Waqf bill, said that the panel heard all stakeholders and the bill will benefit poor Muslims.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “A lot of consultation has been done. Opposition does not mean just opposing. The welfare of every section, all the people, followers of all religions – there is reform keeping this in mind. Nobody is acquiring any temple or mosque. It is the reform. Congress and its ecosystem always oppose reforms…Nobody is being targeted; they are trying to mislead. They are running a misinformation campaign…"

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain accused the opposition of creating misunderstandings about the Waqf Amendment Bill. “Congress and other parties are trying to mislead and instigate Muslims… Just like Muslims were misled about the CAA and Shaheen Bagh protests took place, the same people are misleading Muslims about the Waqf Act. The Waqf Amendment Bill nowhere says that mosques, dargahs and other religious places will be taken away by the government. I say this with full responsibility so as not to get influenced by anyone. This bill only aims to undo the monopoly of mafias on Waqf property," he added.

On the other hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that all the Opposition parties are united and shall work together on the floor of the Parliament, to defeat the “unconstitutional and divisive agenda" of the Modi government on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said that his party is against the Waqf Bill. “They (BJP) want complete control… They used to say that we (opposition) are doing politics of appeasement, are they (BJP) not doing appeasement by distributing kits on Eid? Till now, they have been misleading Hindus and now they have started misleading Muslims also," he said.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said, “Our Chief Minister has passed the resolution in Tamil Nadu Assembly, opposing the Bill. So, DMK is opposing the Bill…As of now, if there is a discussion we will be participating and definitely opposing the Bill."

On Waqf Amendment Bill, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “This is an unconstitutional Bill. We are people who believe in the Constitution. People of BJP want to impose ‘Nagpur ka kanoon’; that is not at all acceptable to us. We believe in ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’, the diversity of our country is the beauty of it. We will oppose it even in the time to come."

Kerala Minister Veena George said that the Left parties will oppose the bill. “We will be standing strong on our vision and on our views on this matter," he said.

AIMIM chief and party MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that the bill is “unconstitutional" and it violates freedom of religion for Muslims.

On NDA allies’ support to the Bill, he said, “They will have to face consequences… Muslim community has an emotional connect with Waqf because this is ‘Ibadat’ for us…If you keep us devoid of our mosques, dargahs, it will be painful for us. Neither Nitish Kumar nor Chandrababu Naidu nor Chirag Paswan or Jayant Chaudhary are understanding this. So, people will make them understand."

News india Parliament Braces For NDA And INDI Bloc Face-Off As Waqf Bill Goes To Lok Sabha Floor On Wednesday