Claim
A video is going viral on the social media site, X (formerly Twitter), showing many MPs sitting in a round table and having a laughter while having tea. The user Hindutva Knight (@HPhobiaWatch) shared this video and has captioned, “Saviours of democracy and minorities after the Waqf bill was passed, Owaisi had the loudest laughter.”
The user has shared the video on 4 April 2025.
Many other users have shared this video with similar claims.
Fact Check
To investigate the viral video, the DFRAC conducted a reverse image search of a keyframe from the viral video. It led us to similar video on different platform and to news reports.
Here is the links to the video shared on YouTube.
Moreover, a news report by The Economic Times, dated 29 January 2025, stated about the scrutiny of the Waqf Amendment Bill by Jagdambika Pal headed Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
Furthermore, this report states about the dissenting opinion the JPC received from the opposition parties’ members to the adopted bill, which was approved with 15-11 votes. They deemed it “unconstitutional” and that it will destroy the Waqf board by allowing the government to meddle in the religious affairs of Muslims.
However, in another report by National Herald, dated 29 January 2025, told about Jagdambika Pal’s points that this amendment will make waqf more transparent and effective. He claimed that for the first time, Pasmanda Muslim, the poor, women, and orphans will be in the list of beneficiaries of waqf.
Similar criticism from opposition parties’ MPs is echoed in this report. Whilst, MPs from BJP opined that it will bring more transparency and accountability to Waqf boards.
Here, is a video uploaded on 29 January 2025 by ANI on its X (formerly Twitter) profile. This is the same video which is going viral on social media. It is from JPC on Waqf Amendment Bill 2025. In the video, all members of the JPC are visible.
Furthermore, here is a photo shared by Aparajita Sarangi, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha Constituency. This photo is from that same meeting and is shared on 29 January 2025 on her Facebook’s profile.
Lastly, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was passed in Lok Sabha on 3 April 2025, in Rajya Sabha on 4 April 2025, and it received President Assent by President Droupadi Murmu on 5 April 2025.
Conclusion
Therefore, the fact check by the DFRAC reveals that the viral video is misleading. This video is original from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting, which discussed the bill and approved it for discussion in Parliament. This video originally is from 29 January 2025, and even news reports are also there to corroborate the fact.
This video was purposefully got viral on 4 April 2025, as it was the day on which the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha.
