Govt. Will Expose Congress’s Lies on Waqf Act: Rijiju

Mumbai: Union minority affairs and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the two main objectives of the new Waqf Act are to benefit the poor Muslims and to stop the looting and misuse of the property. Mr. Rijiju also asserted that every inch of land should be put to use properly in a big country like India.

“India is a big country, and every inch of land in this country should be used properly. There should be no dispute in this. India has the most land as Waqf property in the world. More than 9 lakh 72 thousand Waqf properties are in India, but it is not being used for the poor Muslims. Its misuse and looting by occupying the property are matters of concern. So when we amended the land bill, our two main objectives were to benefit the poor Muslims and to stop the looting and misuse of the property,” the minister said.

Accusing the Congress and other opposition parties for running a ‘misinformation’ campaign against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, the minister said the government will expose them in the days to come. The Waqf (Amendment) Act has been made to remove the problems and challenges in the regulation and management of Waqf properties without violating anyone’s rights. The act is to increase the efficiency of the Waqf Board by removing loopholes in the previous law, he added.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Rijiju claimed that “a large section of the Muslim community is wholeheartedly welcoming this Act”.Asserting that the Centre has made the amendments which were necessary, he said, “The requirement for change in the Waqf Act are in fact suggested by the committees which were formed during the Congress time. If you see the 1976 Wafq inquiry report, the Sachar Committee report, K Rehman Khan report, they all have talked about (carrying out) the management of the Waqf property in a much more efficient, transparent, and accountable manner. That is exactly what we have done. Despite having the largest Waqf properties in the world, these properties are not being utilised for the welfare of the Muslim community.”