New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari slammed the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, alleging ulterior motives by the ruling party, stating that it was done for polarising and diverting attention from their failure.

'The government is doing this for polarisation and to divert attention from their failures... The intentions of the ruling party are not good,' Tiwari said on Thursday.

He vowed to challenge the legislation, stating, 'We will take this to the people's court and the court. We will change it if we come to power.'

Meanwhile, fellow Congress MP Rajiv Shukla also raised concerns over the bill's fallout, stating that the BJP's allies in the NDA were 'forcefully' supporting the bill.

'A lot of people have complaints regarding the Waqf Bill. People from the NDA are supporting it forcefully, and that's why people are resigning--like Mohammed Kasim Ansari from JD(U). They will face a huge loss in Bihar,' Shukla said.

Earlier, the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a marathon and heated debate.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, 'Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed.'

The House sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation. Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition parties of trying to mislead people on the Waqf Amendment Bill and said it will benefit crores of people from the Muslim community.

Replying to the over 12-hour-long debate on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said several suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee had been incorporated in the revised bill.

Rijiju said that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, will be renamed as the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill.

Lok Sabha, which took up discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate.

The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.

The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records. (ANI)