NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday sharply criticised former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her remarks alleging that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was “bulldozed” through Parliament. “The bill was passed according to the rules of the House. It is unfortunate that, despite following all parliamentary procedures, such allegations are being made,” he said, underscoring that the process adhered to democratic standards.
The Speaker, who refrained from making a direct reference to Sonia, emphasised that the bill underwent extensive deliberation, with Lok Sabha debating it for 13 hours and 53 minutes, followed by three rounds of voting.
His response sparked protests from Congress benches. Congress members raised slogans as the Speaker delivered the valedictory address, ensuring a raucous end to the session. Sonia had made the remark while addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Thursday. She termed the waqf bill a “brazen assault on the Constitution”, and claimed that it pushed through without adequate discussion. Sonia was rebutted also by parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. Raising the issue in LS, he urged the Speaker to issue an appropriate order. He dismissed the “bulldozed” charge as “baseless and absurd” and said the Rajya Sabha debate had set a new record for the longest discussion in the Upper House.
Addressing a press conference later, Rijiju defended the bill’s passage and said, “There was not a single disruption during the discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.”
Meanwhile, the opposition intensified its attack on the govt over another issue – US President Donald Trump’s imposition of 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods. Congress MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari, moved adjournment motions in both Houses, warning of “severe economic ramifications” for sectors like automobiles, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Rahul termed the tariff a potential “devastation” for India’s economy and demanded that PM Narendra Modi address the House. Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring echoed this, while protests near Parliament’s Makar Dwar underscored the party’s discontent.
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