Kiren Rijiju slams Mamata Banerjee for ‘refusing to implement’ Waqf Act

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticizes Mamata Banerjee for opposing Waqf Act, emphasizes on benefits for financially weaker Muslims.

The Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for refusing to implement the Waqf (Amendment) Act in her State. Speaking to journalists in Mumbai, Mr. Rijiju said that a State government could not refuse to implement a law passed by Parliament.  

“We work under a federal structure. The Chief Minister of West Bengal can oppose the Act in theory, but she cannot declare that she will not implement a law that is passed by the Parliament for the entire country. It is her misguided remarks on the Waqf Act that have led to the violence in Murshidabad,” Mr. Rijiju said. 

“There is no debate that the world’s largest waqf property lies in India. Over 9,72,000 waqf properties are in India, but it has not benefited the poor Muslim community. In fact, there has been quite a lot of misuse in the country through encroachment of waqf property, which is a matter of concern,” the Minister said.

Mr. Rijiju said the Bill had two primary objectives — benefitting financially weaker Muslims, and to “stop the loot and misuse of waqf property”.  

He said that a certain section of the Muslim community, along with the Congress and the Left parties, had been misusing waqf lands for years, and the main purpose of the legislation had not been achieved properly.  

“Only a few misguided Muslims, and politicians who are engaged in vote bank appeasement are opposing the Bill. Several members of the Muslim community have come forward to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for enacting the Waqf Act. The necessary amendments made in the Bill are, in fact, suggested by the committees [set up] during the Congress regime. The 1976 waqf inquiry report talked about carrying out waqf property management in a much more efficient, transparent and accountable manner, with proper documentation of every activity. We have just followed the same,” Mr. Rijiju said. 

Praising the Narendra Modi government, the Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was dedicated to working towards the upliftment of minorities, and the financially weaker sections in society from all caste and religion. “There is a reason why the country chose PM Modi yet again. The Opposition has been spreading lies by misleading people with false information that their burial lands and mosques will be taken away. Let me clear [this up] once again — the government is not going to touch the verified waqf properties. But only those that are legally disputed will be questioned, and it is written clearly in the Bill,” Mr. Rijiju said.