New Delhi, April 03, 2025 – India’s parliament ignited a firestorm of controversy on Thursday by passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, a sweeping reform targeting the country’s powerful Muslim land trusts. The bill, championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, aims to overhaul the management of Waqf boards—Islamic endowments controlling an estimated 900,000 acres of prime real estate nationwide. While the government touts the move as a step toward transparency, critics decry it as a thinly veiled assault on India’s 200-million-strong Muslim minority.
The legislation, narrowly passed in the lower house after a contentious overnight debate, is expected to clear the upper house later today. It grants unprecedented oversight to civil servants and mandates the inclusion of non-Muslims in the boards’ administration—a historic shift for the traditionally autonomous bodies. With assets rivaling those of India’s railways and defense forces, Waqf boards oversee a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of donated properties meant to fund charitable causes like education and healthcare.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who introduced the bill, framed it as a long-overdue crackdown on corruption. “This is about accountability, not religion,” he insisted, pointing to allegations of mismanagement and profiteering by entrenched elites. Interior Minister Amit Shah echoed this, arguing that illicit leasing practices have siphoned funds away from marginalized communities. “The money meant for minority upliftment is being pocketed by a few,” Shah said during the debate.
Yet opposition leaders see a darker motive. Rahul Gandhi, head of the Congress Party, branded the bill a “weapon” designed to erode Muslim autonomy and property rights. “This is an attack on personal laws and a dangerous precedent for targeting other communities,” Gandhi warned, accusing Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stoking religious division to appease its Hindu nationalist base. The BJP’s track record—pushing temple construction at disputed sites like Ayodhya—only fuels such suspicions.
The bill’s passage marks a bold escalation in Modi’s third term, spotlighting the delicate balance between reform and religious identity in India’s diverse democracy. Supporters hail it as a victory for good governance; detractors fear it deepens mistrust among minorities. As protests simmer and legal challenges loom, the Waqf reforms could reshape not just land ownership, but the nation’s social fabric. For now, all eyes are on the upper house—and the streets beyond.
