Rijiju’s Big Charge: How UPA ‘Gifted’ 123 Delhi Properties to Waqf Before 2014 Polls

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday made a startling revelation in the Rajya Sabha while speaking on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025. He accused the then UPA government of denotifying 123 prime properties in Delhi and transferring them to the Delhi Waqf Board just hours before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) kicked in ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.  

Rijiju accuses Congress of ‘Midnight Deal’ before MCC

“On March 5, 2014, just before the MCC came into effect, the UPA government denotified 123 properties belonging to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and handed them over to the Delhi Waqf Board,” Rijiju said.  

According to Rijiju, the Urban Development Ministry had prepared a draft Cabinet note to facilitate the denotification and transfer of ownership. This move effectively annulled the acquisition of these properties by the British government between 1911 and 1915. Of the 123 properties, 61 were under the Land and Development Department, while the rest belonged to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).  

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The transfer, allegedly finalised at the last minute, has now sparked a fresh political row, with the BJP questioning the Congress’s intentions and demanding accountability for the decision taken just before the crucial general elections.