Waqf amendment bill 2024 not anti-Muslim: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan

Janata Dal (U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' on Thursday said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was aimed at bringing transparency in the functioning of the Waqf Board and not an attempt to interfere with running of mosques.

As opposition leaders opposed the introduction of the bill, the JD(U) leader stood up to speak amid uproar by opposition members.

"JD(U) is a party here whether it is opposing or supporting, I have to record my view here," Singh said.

Defending the bill, he said, "Several members are making it sound as if the amendment in Waqf Board law is anti-Muslim. How is it anti-Muslim?"

"Here example of Ayodhya is being given... Can you not differentiate between a temple and an institution? This is not an attempt to interfere with mosques. This law is for the institution, to make it transparent..." he claimed.

"How was the Waqf Board formed? It was through a law. Any institution established through law becomes autocratic. Government has the right to bring