Kiren Rijiju tabled the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha and said the Waqf Bill aims to accomplish unfulfilled tasks of previous governments. He sought the Opposition support in passing the Bill in Rajya Sabha.
New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday tabled the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha and said it was introduced after talking to all stakeholders. Rijiju urged the Congress party and its allies to support Waqf Amendment Bill 2025. The amended Waqf Bill will ensure that the rights of women are protected, said Rijiju in Rajya Sabha.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Kiren Rijiju said as of today, there are 8.72 lakh Waqf properties. “In 2006, if the Sachar committee had estimated the earnings from 4.9 lakh Waqf properties at Rs 12,000 crore, then you can imagine the income these properties must be generating now.”
Rijiju further added that the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, will be renamed as the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill.
Rijiju says Waqf Bill will accomplish unfulfilled tasks
Kiren Rijiju said the Waqf Bill will accomplish unfulfilled tasks of previous governments and sought the Opposition support in passing the Bill.
Earlier in Lok Sabha, he said that there is no place in the world safer than India for minorities and they are safe because the majority is entirely secular.
Minority communities safe in India, says Rijiju
Replying to the nearly 12-hour long debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Rijiju, who is the Union Minorities Affairs Minister, said even minuscule minority communities like the Parsis are safe in India and all minorities here live with pride.
“Some members have said that minorities are not safe in India. This statement is completely false. There is no place safer than India for minorities. I am also a minority and we all are living here without any fear and with pride,” he said after the debate on the contentious Bill.
The minister said whenever a minority community faces persecution, it always comes to India to take refuge and cited the examples of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community, minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Govt will unify all minorities in India, says Rijiju
“Minorities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan came to India after facing religious persecution in their respective countries. How can you say that minorities are not safe in India. Very, very wrong to say this. The coming generation will never forgive you. Minorities in India are safe because the majorities of the country are fully secular. This is not the case in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. But still, you abuse us,” he said.
Rijiju said through the Bill, the NDA government is going to unify all minorities in the country. He also highlighted the “wholehearted” support of the Christian community for the Bill.
