The Lok Sabha on the 2nd of April 2025 passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after 12 hours of fierce debate. The opposition parties, including Congress, AIMIM, SP and others, mounted an attack against the government, claiming that Waqf is an essential practice to Islam and therefore the Bill is against the Constitution. The government, in their strong reply, countered the charge. Pertinently, the Bill also does away with the draconian Section 40 of the Waqf Act 1995, which allowed the Waqf Board to claim properties overnight, including Hindu villages, temples, etc – a move strongly opposed by opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
After the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with 288-232 vote, Mahua Moitra struck again, claiming a moral victory for the opposition because the voting gap in favour of the bill was “only” 50 votes.
#WATCH | Delhi | #WaqfAmendmentBill passed in the Lok Sabha; TMC MP Mahua Moitra says, "…There is only a fifty vote gap difference here and you realise just how unpopular and against the mandate of the public this bill is. It is only because of the party whip and the two allies… pic.twitter.com/ZfLQmFU0Em
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2025
“…There is only a fifty-vote gap difference here and you realise just how unpopular and against the mandate of the public this bill is. It is only because of the party whip and the two allies that they have managed to get through by the skin of their teeth…It is a very dark day in India’s secular democracy, where the government has brought a bill which is unfair and against the fundamental rights…The amendments are sending a very chilling effect to the Muslim community…”, she said.
Members of the Lok Sabha are elected representatives and when a Bill is passed by the parliament, it is “democratic” because the majority of the elected representatives voted in favour of it. Whether the margin is 50 votes, 100 votes or 300 votes, the fact that the bill was passed is a testament to the democratic process. However, inspired by Congress claiming ‘moral victory’ even in resounding defeat, Mahua Moitra claimed that the Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha, was ‘unpopular’ and ‘against public mandate’.
