Will be remembered as Black day, Congress MP Masood on Waqf (Amendment) Bill's passage in LS

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Expressing displeasure over the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Imran Masood said on Thursday that it is unconstitutional and will be remembered as a black day.

Talking to IANS, Masood said the way it was passed in the Lok Sabha is unconstitutional.

"It is violative of the rights given to us by the Constitution under Article 14 (Right to equality), 16 (equality of opportunity in matters of public employment) , 25 (freedom of religion) and 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs)," he said.

On Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark that the bill is not anti-Muslim, he said: "You have declared all properties illegal. And you will decide which property is illegal or legal. UP is the biggest example. You have declared all properties unconstitutional. Already there are numerous cases in the court. If this bill becomes law, it will further increase the number of petitions in the courts.

Claiming that it is the biggest attack on Muslims, he said: "If the Waqf(Amendment) Bill becomes legislation, we will change it when we come to power."

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The Lok Sabha discussed the bill for more than 12 hours. It was passed in the Lok Sabha with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.

BJP allies, including Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Shiv Sena, supported the Bill while INDIA bloc parties opposed the Bill, arguing that it is anti-constitutional.

Amid the row over the bill, Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Majhi shared that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad was opposing the Bill as it was introduced by the Modi government.

He shared a video of Lalu's speech in Parliament in which he called for a stricter law against Waqf properties.