India’s parliament passed a significant bill on Thursday aimed at reforming the country’s powerful and wealthy Muslim land-owning organizations, with the ruling Hindu nationalist government hailing it as a step toward increased accountability. However, opposition parties have labeled it an “attack” on the Muslim minority.
The bill, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, seeks to improve transparency and management within Waqf boards. These boards oversee properties donated for charitable purposes by Muslims, and they control some 900,000 acres (365,000 hectares) of land, making them some of the largest landholders in India, alongside the railways and the defense forces.
Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who tabled the bill, stated that it would help reduce corruption and mismanagement, while diminishing the influence of a few entrenched groups within the Waqf boards. The bill was passed by the lower house of parliament after a marathon debate that extended into the early hours of Thursday and is expected to pass the upper house later in the day.
Interior Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Modi, defended the bill, claiming it would allow authorities to identify individuals who misuse the Waqf properties for personal gain. He argued that the funds meant for the development of the Muslim community were being “stolen” by those who lease out the properties for personal profit.
Under the new bill, non-Muslims will be included in the Waqf boards, but they will only be involved in “administrative” matters, Shah clarified.
Despite the government’s support, opposition parties vehemently opposed the bill. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress Party, accused the government of using the bill as a tool to undermine Muslim rights and marginalize the community. He called the bill a “weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights.” Gandhi further criticized the bill as an example of “polarising politics” aimed at gaining favor with the right-wing Hindu base of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Opposition parties believe this bill is part of Modi’s broader agenda to consolidate support among his party’s Hindu nationalist base, which has also backed controversial initiatives, such as the construction of a Hindu temple at the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya.
