Mallikarjun Kharge vows to resign if Anurag Thakur proves ‘wild’ land grab allegations

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said he will resign if ‘land grab’ allegations levelled against him by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur are proved.

Allegations levelled against me by Anurag Thakur damaged my reputation, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday, asking the BJP MP to prove the 'wild' allegations against him or resign. Follow Parliament LIVE updates

BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress in the Lok Sabha for opposing the Waqf bill, saying the proposed law would be the last nail in the coffin of Congress's “politics of appeasement”.

Anurag Thakur alleged that the Waqf Board had to administer properties for the welfare of the Muslim community but the Congress and other opposition parties irresponsibly used the land to set up an empire which they used as their "vote bank ATM".

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Participating in the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lower House, Anurag Thakur said the time has come to change the Waqf boards as they have become a "hub of corruption" and accused the Congress of once again creating an atmosphere of confusion in the country.

The Bill is not just for a change in law but a clear message -- that the country will be run only in accordance with the Constitution, new agency PTI quoted Anurag Thakur.

"You will have to decide whether you will stand with the Constitution or with Waqf," he said.

'Land jihad'

Defending the Waqf Bill, Anurag Thakur said, "India has seen a partition in 1947. That partition happened because of one family and one party. Today, we will not allow a second partition in the name of land jihad. We will not allow it to happen. India needs freedom from the fear of the Waqf Board."

The BJP leader accused the opposition parties of opposing the bill for political motives, rather than considering what he called the "injustice" in the way Waqf properties are administered.

Only a handful of people have control over the vast Waqf properties across the country, he said.

"Only 200 people have control over Waqf properties," he said adding that the land of Hindus, Dalits, tribals and backward classes has been taken over, and no one speaks against this injustice.