INDIA’S parliament today discussed a controversial proposal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments.

The Bill seeks to add non-Muslims to boards that manage Islamic charities — known as waqf — and expand the government’s role in validating their land holdings.

The government claims that the reforms will combat corruption and mismanagement while promoting diversity, but critics fear that it will further undermine the Muslim minority’s rights and could be used to confiscate historic mosques and other properties.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf Amendment Bill today, which would revise a 1995 law that set rules for waqf foundations and create state-level boards to oversee them.

The proposal sparked heated debate in the lower house, with the Congress-led opposition firmly against it.

Bihar Congress MP Dr Mohammad Javed accused the government of attempting to seize Muslim land, warning that if passed, the law could flood courts with legal battles.

Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lacks a parliamentary majority but may rely on allies to pass the Bill, which would then need approval from the upper house before being sent to President Droupadi Murmu for assent.