Mayawati flays Rahul’s silence on Waqf Bill during Parl debate

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Saturday questioned the silence of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. She said the Congress leader did not speak during the parliamentary discussion, despite strong objections from several opposition parties.

In a series of posts on social media platform X, Mayawati stated that opposition parties had compared the amendments to the Waqf Act to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), alleging both were contrary to the Constitution.

“Is it right for the Leader of Opposition to not say anything during the long discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha… It is natural that there is anger in the Muslim community and uneasiness in their INDIA alliance regarding this, she posted.

The Waqf Amendment Bill, which is now an Act, has been contested by several political outfits, citing concerns over its impact on minority rights and property management.

Mayawati further criticised both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that both parties have failed to safeguard the constitutional rights of Bahujans. “Anyway, the parties like Congress, BJP, etc., are equally guilty in the matter of keeping the Bahujans deprived by making their right to reservation ineffective and inactive in government jobs and education. Religious minorities also need to avoid deception,” she wrote.

In her remarks, Mayawati also targeted the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, alleging law and order issues and unchecked privatisation in key public sectors such as electricity. She stated that Bahujans in the state were “distressed” and that government departments were being increasingly handed over to private players.

“Due to such attitude of theirs, the condition of Bahujans in U.P. is very bad and distressed in every matter while the BJP people are free to take the law into their hands. Also, the situation is worrying due to the increasing privatisation in electricity and other government departments,” she added.

With inputs from ANI