Waqf bill passage triggers spectrum of reactions from Muslim leaders, organisations in UP

Lucknow: From cautious optimism to outright condemnation, the Waqf bill passed in Parliament has triggered a spectrum of reactions from Muslim leaders and organisations in Uttar Pradesh.

Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, early on Friday after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.

In Bareilly, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi -- national president of the All India Muslim Jamaat -- expressed gratitude to the government for the Bill's passage. "I thank the government of India. I also congratulate all citizens of the country." He argued the Bill would benefit poor Muslims by utilising income from Waqf land for their social and economic uplift, including education and welfare programmes for orphans and widows.

"The Bill will not cause any harm to common Muslims. Rather, it will be beneficial. The loss will be of those Waqf land mafia who have occupied lands worth crores (of rupees)," he said.

However, Mohammad Yasin -- secretary of the Intezamia Masjid Committee in Varanasi -- claimed the Bill "violates the constitutional rights of minorities" and warned that it would also "weaken the Places of Worship Act".

He warned of increased insecurity within the Muslim community and hinted at potential legal challenges.

In Aligarh, All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat national president Feroze Ahmad cautioned against the "designs of the ruling NDA (National Democratic Alliance) coalition" and deemed the Bill a "blow against the principles of justice".

In Gorakhpur, the Bill has become the focus of discussions in Muslim-dominated areas.

Maulana Syed Jawed expressed "sadness and concern" over "targeting" of the Muslim community but maintained "faith in the government and the Constitution." There are 967 Waqf properties in Gorakhpur, about 60 per cent of which are disputed, according to the district administration.

In Mathura, Hindu organisations such as the Sankat Mochan Sena held meetings supporting the Bill and condemning the "system of declaring all public properties as Waqf" as "unfortunate and a case of treason".

In contrast, advocate Tanveer Ahmed, secretary of the Shahi Idgah Intezamia Committee, alleged the Bill aimed to "take possession of Waqf properties and give them to favourite capitalists".

Kailash Tiwari, the district minority welfare officer in Baghpat, said there were 718 Waqf properties, with 622 identified during a recent survey.

The total land area of these properties is 162.63 hectares, he added.

Shah Alam, a cleric associated with Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind national president Maulana Mahmood Madani, said, "Maulana Mahmood Madani says the law made against the Waqf board is not right, we are against it." In Ballia, BJP MLA Ketki Singh welcomed the Bill and demanded a probe into the state Waqf board chairman's properties, alleging "these people have occupied land in the name of Waqf".

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Uttar Pradesh general secretary Shahzeb Rizvi has resigned from the post and the party, citing disagreement with its support for the Waqf bill in Parliament.

The RLD is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Confirming his resignation to PTI, Rizvi said he was "angry with (RLD) national president Jayant Chaudhary's decision to support the Waqf bill." He claimed "many more leaders will leave the party in the coming days".

Accusing Chaudhary of disregarding the sentiments of Muslim voters, Rizvi said, "If the RLD has 10 MLAs in western Uttar Pradesh today, then Muslims have contributed a lot to this." Expressing "disappointment" with the RLD's decision to support the Bill, he argued that Chaudhary "has strayed from the path shown by Chaudhary Charan Singh".