'Anti-India Character Is Spreading Venom': Union Minister Rijiju Flays Zakir Naik's Comments On Waqf Bill

Condemning fugitive Zakir Naik’s remarks on the Waqf Bill as “false propaganda,” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the fundamentalist Islamic preacher wishes to create communal disturbances in India.

In a social media post on X, Rijiju asserted that Naik’s claims about the Bill threatening Muslim institutions and properties are unfounded. “This anti-India character is spreading venom by propagating false information and trying to create communal disturbances in India. We need to unite and fight against such individuals,” the minister said.

Waqf Bill

Rijiju’s rebuke came in response to inflammatory claims made by Naik, who fled the country in 2016 and is now known for spreading ant-India propaganda. In a post on X, Naik had earlier claimed, “If this Bill passes, thousands of mosques, madrasas, and graveyards, along with lakhs of acres of land, will be taken from Muslims.”

The Waqf Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and referred to a joint committee of Parliament after a heated debate. The central government has asserted that the proposed law does not aim to interfere with the functioning of mosques, while the opposition has criticised it as targeting Muslims and being an attack on the Constitution.

Last Sunday, the Joint Committee of Parliament meetings on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill became a battleground of conflicting claims, as various government bodies accused Waqf boards of asserting ownership over properties that they claim belong to the state, leading to sharp counterclaims.

Opposition members in the committee argued that numerous Waqf properties are actually in “unauthorized” possession of government entities, including the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Urban Affairs and Road Transport Ministries, as well as the Railway Board, have also made similar accusations against the Waqf boards, supporting the proposed amendments to the law.