New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha on Friday backed the Waqf Amendment Bill, emphasising that it was introduced to tackle the mismanagement of Waqf properties and ensure better representation of marginalised Muslim communities.

In a sharp response to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the Waqf Bill, Jha said, 'Let them (Mamata Banerjee) save their Bengal. The Waqf Bill was brought to address the mismanagement of Waqf properties.'

Jha further pointed out that Bihar's caste census included Pasmanda Muslims, along with the Ansari and Mansuri communities, and that they would benefit from the bill.

'The Waqf Bill was brought to address the mismanagement of Waqf properties. In the caste census conducted in Bihar- Pasmanda Muslims, Ansari, and Mansuri communities are included, and they will benefit from this bill because their representatives will also be on this board. This has been done to improve Waqf's management,' he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of introducing the Waqf Amendment Bill on Thursday to 'divide the country' and promised to reverse it through an amendment if a new government came to power at the Centre.

Addressing a press conference in Nabanna, CM Mamata Banerjee said, 'This was done intentionally, politically, to divide the country. But one day, they will go away, and the other Government will come. At that time, you must remember there will be another amendment, and it will be passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.'

Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi also criticised the BJP-led government after the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha.

She called it a 'brazen assault' on the Constitution and accused the BJP of keeping society in a state of 'permanent polarization.'Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition parties of trying to mislead people on the Waqf Amendment Bill and said it would benefit crores of people from the Muslim community.

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

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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill of 2025 was a 'watershed moment' and that this would help the marginalised, who have been 'denied both voice and opportunity.'

'The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill by both Houses of Parliament marks a watershed moment in our collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth. This will particularly help those who have long remained on the margins, thus being denied both voice and opportunity,' PM Modi posted on X. The Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a marathon and heated debate.

The Lok Sabha, which discussed 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)