Srinagar, February 15, 2025: Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, both NDA allies, support the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Speaking at a press conference on Budget 2025-26, he claimed that several Muslim MPs also back the bill privately. Rijiju emphasized that the amendment aims to bring transparency to Waqf property management and benefit the Muslim community.
He further mentioned that his ministry received representations from the Muslim community regarding the bill. The amendment gained traction after the Joint Committee of Parliament adopted its report on January 30 and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal redacted parts of dissent notes, arguing they cast aspersions on the parliamentary panel.
