‘Truly heralds new dawn for India’: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Waqf Amendment Bill 2025

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Benglauru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday said that the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was a long-pending reform, adding that this truly heralds a new dawn for India.

“It is a very historic reform. An institution that was opaque, corrupt, and unaccountable has finally been rationalised. This bill was a long-pending reform. This truly heralds a new dawn for India and especially the Muslim community,” Surya told reporters.

#WATCH | #WaqfAmendmentBill | BJP MP Tejasvi Surya says, “The concept of Section 40 – Waqf by User and Oral Waqf was a potent cocktail that enabled the Waqf Board to usurp any land that it wished. Those who had a problem with this were forced to go before the Waqf Tribunal. This… pic.twitter.com/Lr3FedezzG

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2025

BJP MP Anurag Thakur said that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a new hope. “Poor Muslim families were deprived of this benefit and property worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore; more than nine lakh acres of land were given into the hands of only 200 people over the last 75 years… Congress never worked to benefit poor Muslim families,” Thakur said.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 after a marathon and heated debate during which members of the INDIA bloc fiercely opposed the legislation while the BJP and its allies in strongly supported it, saying it will bring transparency and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards.

The bill was passed after amendments made by the opposition members were negatived. The House sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation. Speaker Om Birla later announced the result of the division. “Subject to correction, Ayes 288, Noes 232. The majority is in favour of the proposal,” he said.

The revised bill was brought by the government after incorporating recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which examined the legislation which was introduced in August last year.

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. (ANI)