‘You are not an advocate of Speaker’s rights’: Amit Shah hits back at Akhilesh Yadav in Wakf Bill debate

During a heated debate in the House on Thursday, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Speaker Om Birla’s rights were being violated, triggering a strong reaction from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

During the debate on the Wakf (Amendment) Bill, Yadav criticised the bill and alleged, “This Bill being brought is the result of a well-thought-out political strategy. Mr Speaker, in the lobby, we heard that some of your rights will be taken away and we will have to fight for you…I am against this Bill.”

Shah responded sternly, “Akhilesh, you cannot be vague like that. You are not the protector of the Speaker’s rights.”

“The BJP is acting like a real estate company.”

Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, accused the BJP of using the Wakf (Amendment) Bill as a cover for land deals to benefit party workers.

“The BJP is running like a real estate company. The party name should be changed to ‘Bhartiya Zameen Party’ with ‘Zameen’ instead of ‘Janta’,” he said in a Hindi post on ‘X’.

He further alleged that the Wakf Board land was just part of a series of “schemes” designed in the interest of the BJP, following on from defence, railway and Nazr land acquisitions.

“Why doesn’t the BJP publicly write that it has been ‘issued in the interest of the BJP’,” the Samajwadi Party leader asked.

He further demanded a “written assurance” that the Wakf Board’s land would not be sold.

Opposition parties are misleading Muslims: Kiren Rijiju

In response to objections from several opposition lawmakers in the lower house of parliament over the bill, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition of “misleading” Muslims.

“They (opposition parties) are misleading Muslims… Till last night, a delegation of Muslims came to me… Many MPs told me that the mafia has taken over the Wakf Board. Some MPs say they personally support the bill but cannot say due to party affiliation… We have held multi-level consultations across the country on the bill,” Rijiju said.

Defending the amendments, he pointed out that a joint parliamentary committee had recommended a review of the 1995 Wakf Act.

The BJP leader said the opposition’s resistance was politically motivated.

What is the Wakf (Amendment) Bill?

The Wakf (Amendment) Bill proposes significant changes to the existing Wakf Act, aiming to ensure wider representation, including Muslim women and non-Muslims, on the Wakf Boards. It also seeks to rename the Wakf Act, 1995 as the Uniform Wakf Administration, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.

The bill proposes to delete Article 40 of the existing law relating to the powers of the board over decisions relating to Wakf properties. The bill also includes provisions for diverse composition of the Central Wakf Council and State Wakf Boards and setting up of separate boards for Shias, Sunnis, Bohras, Aghahanis and other backward classes in the Muslim community.

(With input from relevant agencies)