NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah for the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. He said the bill would put a check on the Waqf Board’s actions regarding land claims.
Speaking on the bill, Adityanath referred to past disputes over land ownership in Prayagraj, particularly during the Maha Kumbh. He said, “Some people did not want a significant mythological place like Prayagraj to receive recognition. They did not want the meeting place of Nishad Raj and Lord Ram to be acknowledged because they were focused on their vote bank. In the name of Waqf, they had tried to capture the land here in Prayagraj and other cities as well. When we were organising Maha Kumbh, the Waqf Board was making arbitrary statements that the land of Kumbh in Prayagraj is also Waqf land. Is it the Waqf Board or the ‘Land Mafia’ Board?”
Adityanath further said, “Land mafias won’t be tolerated in the state. We have already wiped the mafia out of Uttar Pradesh. Now, the mafia will not operate in Uttar Pradesh, and there will be law and order. We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah for putting a check on the Waqf Board and doing welfare work by passing this important act in the Lok Sabha. Today, it will be passed in the Rajya Sabha as well.”
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Adityanath stressed that the state would no longer tolerate illegal claims and national interest must come first. “Those who are loyal to the nation will always find their path ahead,” he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, and has been presented in the Rajya Sabha at the time of writing this article.