AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, tearing a copy of the bill in protest. The bill, tabled by the government earlier in the day, aims to amend regulations governing Waqf properties.
New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, tearing a copy of the bill in protest. He accused the government of targeting the country’s largest minority, calling the proposed amendments an attack on their rights. He said the Bill won’t remove Muslims’ poverty, and that officers will now dictate the Waqf regulations. Owaisi’s protest comes amid sharp political debates over the bill’s impact on Waqf properties and minority communities.
Owaisi invokes Mahatma Gandhi, tears copy of Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha | Watch video:
During the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s defiance of discriminatory laws in South Africa while protesting against the proposed amendments. “If you read history, you would see that Mahatma Gandhi spoke about the laws of white South Africa. ‘My conscience doesn’t accept this,’ and he tore them up. Like Gandhi, I am also tearing up this law. This is unconstitutional,” Owaisi said, before ripping a copy of the bill in protest. He accused the BJP of using religious issues to create divisions in the country and urged the government to accept his 10 proposed amendments.
His remarks came in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who, during the debate, dismissed objections to the bill. “A member even said the minorities won’t accept it. Who are you trying to scare? It’s the Parliament’s law—everyone will follow and accept it,” Shah asserted.
The bill, tabled by the government earlier in the day, seeks to introduce changes to the management and regulation of Waqf properties. While the government argues that the amendments will bring transparency and streamline administration, opposition leaders, including Owaisi, claim that they undermine minority institutions and curtail their autonomy.
During the heated debate, Owaisi alleged that the bill was aimed at diluting Waqf protections and diminishing the rights of Muslim communities over their properties. His protest drew sharp reactions from treasury benches, with ruling party members defending the proposed changes as necessary reforms.
(With PTI inputs)
 Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, tearing a copy of the bill in protest. The bill, tabled by the government earlier in the day, aims to amend regulations governing Waqf properties.){kind=link}