NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday launched a strong criticism of the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, accusing the government of “bulldozing” it through the Lok Sabha.
Speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) General Body meeting, Sonia Gandhi characterised the bill as part of the BJP’s strategy to maintain societal polarization.
“Yesterday, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, was passed in the Lok Sabha, and today it is scheduled for the Rajya Sabha. The bill was, in effect, bulldozed through. Our party’s position is clear—the bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself. It is part of the BJP’s deliberate strategy to keep our society in a state of permanent polarisation,” Sonia Gandhi said.
She warned that the government’s actions were systematically undermining democratic values and pushing India toward becoming a surveillance state.
The contentious bill passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour debate, securing 288 votes in favor and 232 against. The BJP received support from its allies, including the TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, and LJP.
Sonia also expressed strong opposition to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, describing it as “another subversion of the Constitution.”
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticised the bill as an attack on the Constitution’s basic structure, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav warned about its potential impact on India’s secular image. However, minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju defended the bill, emphasising that it pertains solely to properties and does not interfere with religious institutions.
“The amendments were necessary because the UPA-era changes gave the Waqf Act an overriding effect over other laws,” Rijiju said.
Home minister Amit Shah defended the bill, particularly regarding the appointment of non-Muslims to Waqf councils, while former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized Congress’s historical stance on minority issues.