Hameen ko qaatil kahegi duniya,
Hamara hi qatl-e-aam hoga.
Hameen kune khodte phirenge,
Hameen pe paani haraam hoga
The world will call us murderers,
Yet it will be our massacre.
We will go around digging wells,
Yet we won't be permitted to drink water
-Imran Pratapgarhi in his Parliamentary Address
Wearing a black kurta-pyjama, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi stood on the steps on Parliament on April 2, holding against his chest a sign for all to read. It said: “Reject Waqf Bill”, Pratapgarhi was one of several MPs protesting the proposed amendment to the 1995 Waqf Act. Two weeks earlier, on March 17, 2025, he and other opposition leaders had demonstrated against the Bill in New Delhi라이브 바카라 Jantar Mantar.
The Waqf Bill, which proposes changes to how Waqf properties will be governed, has been criticised by minority rights groups and opposition parties alike. Pratapgarhi, a Rajya Sabha member representing Maharashtra, is one of its most vocal critics. He라이브 바카라 accused the government of attempting to appropriate land historically held in trust for Muslim communities. “They want to loot Waqf lands under the guise of reform,” he said in his now-viral parliamentary address, warning that the proposed changes could enable an unchecked transfer of public religious assets for private or corporate use.
What made his speech resonate across communities, however, was not just its content but its cadence. Before entering politics in 2019, Pratapgarhi was a poet in both Urdu and Hindi—his ability to fuse verse with political critique is reminiscent of leaders like Abul Kalam Azad, who wielded poetry as both shield and sword in political discourse.
Born as Mohammed Imran Khan on August 6, 1987, in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Pratapgarhi is the second eldest of ten siblings, from a middle-class family. His academic journey led him to a master's degree in Hindi literature from Allahabad University. While he began his poetic endeavors in Hindi, he soon gravitated towards Urdu mushairas.
His breakthrough poem “Madrasa” challenged stereotypes about Indian Muslims and became emblematic of his lyrical approach to social justice. His verses resonated widely among young audiences and brought him into the political fold. After an unsuccessful bid for the Lok Sabha in
2019, Pratapgarhi was appointed the national chairman of the Congress party라이브 바카라 Minority Department in 2021. By 2022, he had secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Pratapghari라이브 바카라 career, however, has not been without friction. In early January 2025, an FIR was filed against him in Gujarat라이브 바카라 Jamnagar district, accusing him of uploading a video containing inflammatory content tied to a mass marriage event he attended in late 2024. The report claimed that Pratapgarhi shared a 46-second video on his X account on December 29, featuring a poem that included the line "Ae khoon ke pyase baat suno..." playing in the background. He was accused of spreading anti-national hate and inciting communal unrest among other things, however, the Supreme Court redacted the complaint, saying ‘This actually promotes non-violence. It has nothing to do with religion, this has nothing to do with any anti-national activity. Police have shown a lack of sensitivity."
For Pratapgarhi, such flashpoints are not aberrations but part of a broader struggle to make space for dissenting voices—especially those from minority communities—within India라이브 바카라 mainstream political discourse. His critics often accuse him of playing identity politics, while his supporters see him as one of the few parliamentarians willing to speak up against what they perceive as rising majoritarianism.
As the Waqf Amendment Bill continues to face resistance from opposition parties and minority groups, Imran Pratapgarhi has positioned himself as one of its most outspoken critics within Parliament. His trajectory—from Urdu mushairas to the Rajya Sabha—illustrates the growing convergence of culture and politics, and the contested space that leaders like him now occupy in India라이브 바카라 increasingly polarised political landscape.
