‘Wouldn't have to fix punctures if...’: PM attacks Congress over misuse of Waqf

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Waqf land should have been used to help the poor, but its misuse forced young Muslim boys into menial jobs.

He attacked the Congress leaders, calling them “vote bank-hungry politicians”, and asked why they had never appointed a Muslim as their party chief.

“I want to ask these vote bank-hungry politicians, if you truly have even a little sympathy for Muslims in your heart, then why doesn't the Congress party make a Muslim the party president? Why don't they do it?” Modi said while addressing a rally in Haryana's Hisar.

He said that if the Congress party gives tickets for the Lok Sabha elections, they should allocate 50 per cent of them to Muslims. If they win, they will speak for themselves, but they won’t do it because their intention is not to benefit anyone, Modi added.

“Across the country, there are lakhs of hectares of land in the name of Waqf. This land, this property, should have been used for the welfare of the poor, helpless women and children. And if it had been used honestly, my young Muslim boys wouldn’t have had to spend their lives fixing cycle punctures,” Modi said during a rally in Haryana's Hisar.

PM Modi added that Waqf land benefited only a few land mafias, while the backward Muslim community gained nothing.

“This only benefited a handful of land mafias. The backward Muslim community did not gain anything. And whose land were these land mafias grabbing? They were seizing the land of Dalits, backward classes, Adivasis, and widowed women,” he added.

Muslim widows’ letters prompted Waqf law reforms: Modi

The Prime Minister said discussions on the Waqf law began after several Muslim widows wrote to the government. He added that recent changes will stop the exploitation of the poor and ensure the Waqf Board cannot claim tribal land or homes anywhere in the country.

“When Muslim widows wrote a letter to the Indian government, only then did the discussion on this law begin. After changes were made to the Waqf law, the exploitation of the poor will now come to an end. We have taken a significant and responsible step. We have added a provision to this Waqf law, which ensures that under the new law, the Waqf Board will not be able to seize any tribal land or a tribal's house anywhere in India,” said Modi.

The law, passed earlier this month, has triggered legal pushback from several Indian politicians and minority rights groups, who allege it violates the fundamental rights of the Muslim community.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was passed in the Rajya Sabha on April 4 with 128 members supporting it and 95 opposing. The Lok Sabha had earlier approved the Bill after an extended debate, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.