After JD(U) supports Waqf Bill, three Muslim leaders quit party

Patna, April 4 (IANS) Political tremors continue to shake the Janata Dal (United) following its support for the Waqf Amendment Bill, with another senior leader from the minority wing, Mohammad Tabrez Siddiqui, resigning from the party.

In a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Siddiqui, the State General Secretary of JDU’s Minority Wing, wrote: "I never expected JDU to back the Waqf Amendment Bill. I am disheartened by the party’s stance in Parliament. Hence, I resign from the primary membership and all my positions in the party."

He accused the party of betraying its secular credentials and warned that JDU would face consequences in the Bihar Assembly elections to be held later this year.

"There will be an exodus from JDU due to widespread dissatisfaction on this issue," he added.

Siddiqui joins a growing list of minority leaders quitting the party, including Mohammad Kasim Ansari, a former JDU candidate from Dhaka (East Champaran), and senior JDU leader from Jamui, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik.

All have cited JDU’s support for the Waqf Bill as a betrayal of secular values and an affront to the sentiments of Indian Muslims.

In his resignation letter addressed to Nitish Kumar, Ansari on Thursday expressed deep disappointment over the party’s support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

“Many people in the Muslim community like me had viewed Nitish Kumar as a flag bearer of secularism, but this belief has now been shattered,” Ansari said.

He further stated, "The way JD-U supported the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has deeply hurt Indian Muslims and party workers like me."

The Waqf Amendment Bill has been passed from both Houses of Parliament -- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a step toward “socio-economic justice and transparency.”

BJP leaders argue that it will curb the misuse of Waqf land, benefit poor and backward Muslims -- particularly Pasmandas -- and introduce greater accountability in Waqf property management.

However, opposition parties and Muslim leaders view the bill as a direct attack on minority rights, alleging that it is a tool to seize Waqf lands and further marginalize the community under the guise of reform.

--IANS

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