Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has strongly criticized the Congress and other opposition parties for opposing the new Waqf (Amendment) Bill, claiming they treat Muslims as a vote bank, unlike the BJP which, he said, follows the principle of “appeasement to none, justice to all.”
Speaking to PTI, Rijiju said the role of Parliament is to make laws and the Supreme Court has the authority to interpret them. He declined to comment further on the matter, noting that the Waqf case is currently being heard by the Supreme Court, which has reserved interim orders on three major issues. “I will not make any preemptive statement as the matter is in court,” he said.
Rijiju also responded to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s opposition to the new law, saying that such criticism is “compulsory” for some leaders. “The problem is that some of these leaders, including the Congress party, have always treated Muslims as a vote bank,” Rijiju said. “When you do that, you stop being rational. You put an entire community into one bracket and then good or bad doesn’t matter—it all becomes rhetorical.”
He further claimed that those opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill are trying to keep Muslims poor and dependent. “Our thinking is different. We believe in justice for all,” he said.
Rijiju highlighted the “misuse and underutilization of Waqf properties in India, stating that many within the Muslim community—especially women, children, and backward groups—have not benefited from them.” “India has the highest number of Waqf properties in the world—over 9,70,000. These must be used for the purpose they were originally meant for,” he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed in Parliament in April and later notified by the government. While the BJP-led NDA supported the Bill, the opposition INDIA bloc stood firmly against it.
