Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi hits out at audience for not chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'
Kozhikode (Kerala), Feb 3: Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Saturday lashed out at a section of the audience at a youth conclave here for not chanting the "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan despite she repeatedly asked them to do so.
A visibly irked Lekhi asked them whether Bharat was not their mother and even suggested a woman, who was reluctant to raise the slogan, to leave the venue.
The conclave was organised by certain right-wing outfits.
Concluding her speech, the senior BJP leader chanted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and asked the audience to repeat it.
As the response from the audience was not as expected, she asked whether Bharat was not their home.
"Is Bharat only my mother or your mother as well? Tell me...Tell me...Is there any doubt? No doubt?...Enthusiasm needs to be expressed," the Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture said.
She repeated the slogan and said that the response from the left side audience was still poor.
Pointing at a woman in the audience, Lekhi said, "the lady in yellow (dress) can stand up. Don't look on to the sides. This is how I am going to speak to you. I am going to ask you a straight question. Bharat is not your mother?... Why this attitude?"
Lekhi again chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The woman was still standing idle, doing nothing.
"I think you should leave the house," she said.
The minister also made it clear that someone who does not feel proud of the nation and who finds it embarrassing to speak about India, need not be part of the youth conclave.
Union Minister and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi loses her cool at Kerala audience for not responding loud enough to her "Bharat Mata ki Jai" chants in Kozhikode. She later asks the lady in the audience to leave the house. What arrogance! pic.twitter.com/xheHDEtwRX
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Parliament passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Parliament early Friday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had on Thursday approved the Bill after over a 12-hour debate.
In Rajya Sabha, the Bill got 128 votes in its favour and 95 against after all the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected.
In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.
"The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular," the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board.
He, however, said the number of non-Muslims has been restricted to only four out of 22.
Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill.
"You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream," he added.
He said for 60 years, the Congress and others ruled the country, but did not do much for Muslims and the community continues to live in poverty.
"Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them," the minister said.
According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf boards is reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.
A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.
The Bill proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.
It stipulates that women must receive their inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.
The Bill proposes that an officer above the rank of collector investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.
It also proposes that non-Muslim members be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.
