"Sold railways, defence land and now Waqf land will be sold": Akhilesh Yadav Slams Waqf Bill

New Delhi [India], April 2 : The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha today, triggering a strong response from opposition leaders.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav voiced strong opposition to the bill, questioning its fairness and accusing the BJP of attempting to privatise Waqf land.
"Our party will oppose it... What could be a bigger injustice than not giving importance to the words of the people for whom this bill is being brought?" Yadav remarked.
He accused the BJP of using the bill as part of a larger political strategy and further claimed that it would lead to the sale of Waqf land.
"BJP is a party which loves land a lot... They sold railway land and defence land, and now Waqf land will be sold... This is all a plan to hide their failures," Yadav continued, pointing to the government's track record on land management. He also made a pointed critique of the BJP's leadership, saying, "Our Chief Minister says that politics is his part-time job, so why don't the people of Delhi remove such part-time job holders?"
In defense of the bill, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal argued that the Waqf Amendment Bill was a positive step for the Muslim community, claiming it would benefit poor Muslims and help streamline the management of Waqf properties.

"This is a good bill. This bill is in the interest of the country and Muslims. This will help poor Muslims... If this is an unconstitutional bill, then the opposition should demand the abolition of this law. I don't think people like us will object to this," Jaiswal stated, positioning the bill as a much-needed reform.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan said, "While acknowledging the government's right to propose such legislation, raised concerns about its implications for the secular fabric of the nation."

"It is the prerogative of the government to bring any bill or amendment bill, and they can bring this bill, but this bill is being brought with a view to interfere in the internal affairs of a particular religion in an improper manner," Khan said.
Khan went on to criticise the BJP's allies, urging them to reconsider their support for the bill.
"All the opposition parties and Muslim organisations were opposing it. We hope that the parties which are known as allies of the BJP today and are also concerned about maintaining their secular image will not support the government in this sensitive matter," he added, suggesting that the bill could compromise the secular principles that many of the BJP's allies claim to uphold.