Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday asked BJP MP Anurag Thakur to prove the ‘wild’ allegations against him or resign. Speaking in the House, Congress president Kharge said he will resign if ‘land grab’ allegations levelled against him by the BJP lawmaker are proved.

Thakur on Wednesday, in a scathing attack on the Congress in the Lok Sabha for opposing the Waqf Bill, said the proposed law would finish Congress’ ‘politics of appeasement’. He alleged that the Waqf Board had to administer properties for the welfare of the Muslim community, but the Congress and other Opposition parties irresponsibly used the land to set up an empire, which they used as their “vote bank ATM”.

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Responding to his remarks, Mr Kharge said, ”Allegations levelled against me by Anurag Thakur damaged my reputation”. He asked the BJP MP to prove the ‘wild’ allegations against him or resign. ”Anurag Thakur’s allegations are false, I will not bow down.. ‘Mai toot jaunga par jhukunga nahi’. (I will die but will not bow down),” he said.

The BJP MP has said, “The Karnataka government collected Rs 4.50 crore, and you spent that money. You should have answered those. Did you take the money from the masjid or the Waqf board?” Thakur asked, naming a leader, which caused an uproar among opposition MPs.

He continued, “Karnataka assembly’s report has names of several Congress politicians who were involved in the scam. Is this why you (Congress) are opposing transparency and accountability?”

At the Speaker’s direction, Thakur immediately withdrew the name he had mentioned.

Later in the day, the Upper House is expected to take up a discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill and Mussalman Wakf Repeal Bill 2024.

The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill after a marathon 12-hour-long debate, with Home Minister Amit Shah assuring the Muslim community that the new Bill does not interfere with their religious practices.

While Opposition members said that the Bill was aimed at the Muslim community, BJP MPs said that the Bill was only about properties and not religious practices.

Mr Shah, making an intervention during the debate, said that a manager or administrator of a Waqf and the donor can only be from the Muslim community. Non-Muslims have been included in a Waqf Board or Council for administrative purposes, and that too to ensure that any donation is being used for the purpose it is meant for, he added.