NEW DELHI: At least two individuals in Bihar on Thursday announced their resignation from chief minister Nitish Kumar 's party, Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), due to disagreement with the party’s support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill introduced by the central government.
Mohammed Qasim Ansari, claiming to be a senior JD(U) leader, and Mohammed Nawaz Malik, JD(U) minority pradesh secretary of Bihar, wrote separate letters to Nitish Kumar. In the letters, they said that Muslims no longer had trust in the party, which they earlier believed followed a secular path.
“Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith that you are the flag bearer of a purely secular ideology. But now, this belief has been shattered. Millions of dedicated Indian Muslims and activists like us are deeply shocked by JDU's stand regarding the Waqf Bill Amendment Act 2024,” reads the letter written by Shah Nawaz Malik.
Ansari wrote that the Waqf Bill was “against Indian Muslims” and could not be accepted “under any circumstances.”
“This bill violates many fundamental rights of the Constitution. Through this bill, Indian Muslims are being humiliated and insulted. Neither you nor your party realises this. I regret that I gave many years of my life to the party,” he wrote.
However, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad responded by saying that neither Ansari, from East Champaran, nor Malik, from Jamui, were part of the party’s official structure.
In a letter circulating on social media, Ansari described himself as JD(U)'s medical cell president in East Champaran and claimed to have been a candidate from the Dhaka assembly seat. However, the JD(U) did not contest Dhaka in the 2020 elections. That seat was won by the BJP’s Pawan Jaiswal, an ally of JD(U).
Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told news agency PTI, "I wonder what to say about things. I have been associated with the party for a long time. I say with full responsibility that neither person has been a part of our rank and file."
He added, "We admit that some genuine members of our party, like national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi, are not very happy with the passage of the Bill. Their grievances will be dealt with at the appropriate level. But those who are coming up with the claim of resignation from the party, were never members in the first place."
Earlier in the day, Baliyawi and Syed Afzal Abbas, who heads the Bihar Shia Waqf Board, also expressed concern about the Bill. They said many suggestions made by Muslim leaders during meetings with the Joint Parliamentary Committee were not accepted. However, they did not speak against the party’s decision to support the Bill.
Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a detailed discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was approved in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. Earlier, it had cleared the Lok Sabha with the support of 288 MPs, while 232 voted against it.
Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the early hours of Friday following an extensive discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The bill secured passage in the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, following its approval in the Lok Sabha, supported by 288 MPs while 232 were against.
The issue around the Waqf Bill is expected to continue in Bihar until the state assembly elections, which are scheduled for later this year.
Recently, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) held a protest in Patna, asking Nitish Kumar and NDA partners like Chirag Paswan to stop the Bill.
Nitish Kumar, who says he follows the ideas of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, has often spoken about his record on maintaining secular values, even while being a BJP ally since the 1990s.
He recently spoke about his government’s work for minorities at an event attended by Union home minister Amit Shah. He said that the RJD, which ruled Bihar for 15 years and got Muslim votes, had failed to stop Hindu-Muslim clashes.
The RJD, Congress, and Left parties are expected to use the Waqf Bill issue to criticise the JD(U) and are hoping to gain Muslim voters' support for the "Mahagathbandhan" alliance.
Mohammed Qasim Ansari, claiming to be a senior JD(U) leader, and Mohammed Nawaz Malik, JD(U) minority pradesh secretary of Bihar, wrote separate letters to Nitish Kumar. In the letters, they said that Muslims no longer had trust in the party, which they earlier believed followed a secular path.
“Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith that you are the flag bearer of a purely secular ideology. But now, this belief has been shattered. Millions of dedicated Indian Muslims and activists like us are deeply shocked by JDU's stand regarding the Waqf Bill Amendment Act 2024,” reads the letter written by Shah Nawaz Malik.
JDU Minority Pradesh Secretary, Bihar, Shah Nawaz Malik resigns from the party and other posts due to the party's stand regarding #WaqfAmendmentBill
— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025
"...Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith that you are the flag bearer of a purely secular ideology. But now,… pic.twitter.com/cjQvRKWkWM
Ansari wrote that the Waqf Bill was “against Indian Muslims” and could not be accepted “under any circumstances.”
“This bill violates many fundamental rights of the Constitution. Through this bill, Indian Muslims are being humiliated and insulted. Neither you nor your party realises this. I regret that I gave many years of my life to the party,” he wrote.
Senior JD(U) leader Mohammed Kasim Ansari resigns from the party and all his posts over the party's stand on #WaqfAmendmentBill
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2025
"...I am disheartened that I gave several years of my life to the party," his letter reads. pic.twitter.com/dCG5JrPk7b
However, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad responded by saying that neither Ansari, from East Champaran, nor Malik, from Jamui, were part of the party’s official structure.
In a letter circulating on social media, Ansari described himself as JD(U)'s medical cell president in East Champaran and claimed to have been a candidate from the Dhaka assembly seat. However, the JD(U) did not contest Dhaka in the 2020 elections. That seat was won by the BJP’s Pawan Jaiswal, an ally of JD(U).
Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told news agency PTI, "I wonder what to say about things. I have been associated with the party for a long time. I say with full responsibility that neither person has been a part of our rank and file."
He added, "We admit that some genuine members of our party, like national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi, are not very happy with the passage of the Bill. Their grievances will be dealt with at the appropriate level. But those who are coming up with the claim of resignation from the party, were never members in the first place."
Earlier in the day, Baliyawi and Syed Afzal Abbas, who heads the Bihar Shia Waqf Board, also expressed concern about the Bill. They said many suggestions made by Muslim leaders during meetings with the Joint Parliamentary Committee were not accepted. However, they did not speak against the party’s decision to support the Bill.
Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a detailed discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was approved in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. Earlier, it had cleared the Lok Sabha with the support of 288 MPs, while 232 voted against it.
Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the early hours of Friday following an extensive discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The bill secured passage in the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, following its approval in the Lok Sabha, supported by 288 MPs while 232 were against.
The issue around the Waqf Bill is expected to continue in Bihar until the state assembly elections, which are scheduled for later this year.
Recently, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) held a protest in Patna, asking Nitish Kumar and NDA partners like Chirag Paswan to stop the Bill.
Nitish Kumar, who says he follows the ideas of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, has often spoken about his record on maintaining secular values, even while being a BJP ally since the 1990s.
He recently spoke about his government’s work for minorities at an event attended by Union home minister Amit Shah. He said that the RJD, which ruled Bihar for 15 years and got Muslim votes, had failed to stop Hindu-Muslim clashes.
The RJD, Congress, and Left parties are expected to use the Waqf Bill issue to criticise the JD(U) and are hoping to gain Muslim voters' support for the "Mahagathbandhan" alliance.
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