Anurag Thakur’s Speech on Waqf Bill: Allegations Against Congress Leader

BJP MP Accuses Congress Leader of Involvement in Karnataka Waqf Board Land Scam

NEW DELHI: During the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 debate in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Anurag Thakur alleged a Congress leader’s involvement in the 2012 Karnataka Waqf Board land scam. Thakur questioned the source of Rs 4.50 crore collected by the Karnataka government, asking if it came from the masjid or the Waqf board.

Karnataka Assembly Report Names Congress Politicians

• Thakur cited a Karnataka assembly report naming several Congress politicians in the scam.
• He questioned if Congress’ opposition to transparency and accountability was due to their leaders’ involvement in the scam.

On the Speaker’s directive, Thakur withdrew the Congress leader’s name immediately.

Opposition MPs Walk Out of Joint Parliamentary Panel Meeting

• In October last year, opposition party MPs in the joint parliamentary panel on the Waqf Bill walked out of a meeting following Anwar Manippady’s deposition, an ex-chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission and a former state BJP vice president.
• Manippady accused several Karnataka Congress leaders of misappropriating Waqf properties in Karnataka.

‘Not a Bill, but an UMEED’: Anurag Thakur

During the discussion, Thakur referred to the proposed changes as ‘Umeed’ (hope), an acronym for Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development.

• Thakur stated that ‘Umeed’ meant empowerment, efficiency, and development.
• He called for amending the Waqf Board, claiming it had become a ‘base of atrocity and corruption.’

Thakur thanked several minority groups, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Church of Bharat, Kerala Council of Churches, Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, and Muslim Rashtriya Manch, for supporting the bill.

• Thakur noted that these bodies, from both Catholic and Muslim communities, recognized the reform’s importance.
• He emphasized that the Waqf law, established during the Congress regime, had led to ‘widespread corruption.’