Lucknow, April 4 -- Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday praised the passing of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament, saying it would benefit the welfare and development of poor Muslims in the country.

Speaking to ANI, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "For this country, the name of hope is Prime Minister Modi, and the name of despair is the Congress Party, the Gandhi family, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, etc....All of them tried to ensure that no work could be done by the BJP in the interest of Muslims."

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM criticized several opposition leaders for opposing the BJP's efforts to support Muslims.

"We do not engage in vote bank politics, which is why the Waqf Amendment...