Lucknow, April 12: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday criticised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for not speaking on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill during a long debate in Parliament. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said "it is natural for Muslims to feel considerably angry and for INDIA bloc partners to be agitated on the issue".

"Despite the opposition denouncing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and dubbing it as a case of flouting the Constitution like the CAA, is the decision of the LoP in Lok Sabha to not speak on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the House despite the fact that there was an extensive debate on the issue justified?" she said in her post on X in Hindi. Waqf Amendment Bill 2025: President Droupadi Murmu Accords Assent to Bill After Being Cleared by Both Houses of Parliament.

Mayawati Questions Rahul Gandhi’s Silence on Waqf Bill

Mayawati said that "in any case, the Congress and the BJP are equally guilty of virtually depriving the Dalits of welfare, government jobs, education by virtually making the reservation rights ineffective and redundant".

"It is important that the religious minorities realise the need to escape from the deception of these parties," she added. The BSP chief said the "Bahujans have fared poorly in all aspects" due to "such tactics of these parties" even as the BJP has the right to take the law in their hands. Waqf Amendment Bill 2025: With 17.02 Hours Debate, Waqf Bill Discussion in Rajya Sabha Broke Previous Record of 16.55 Hours.

"The issue of privatisation in power and other sectors is also worrisome and the government must discharge its constitutional responsibility towards people's welfare in all honesty," she added. The BSP chief had earlier on Thursday asked the Centre to reconsider the provisions in the new Waqf law and suspend it for the time being.

Mayawati noted that the recently passed Act's provision of including non-Muslims in the Waqf Board prima facie does not appear good. The Centre on Tuesday notified the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which got the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 after its passage from Parliament following heated debates in both houses.

The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)