Five top leaders of the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) stepped down from the party by Friday, indicating dissatisfaction among some members regarding its support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The law, which created turmoil among the NDA coalition ahead of the approaching Bihar elections, was passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha this week.
The most recent resignation came from Tabrez Hasan, the vice president of the party’s youth wing. Earlier, JDU Minority Cell State Secretary Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik, State General Secretary Mohammad Tabrez Siddiqui from Aligarh, Bhojpur member Mohammad Dilshan Rain, and former candidate Mohammad Qasim Ansari also resigned.
On Friday, Tabrez Hasan submitted his resignation letter to the JDU leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In his letter of resignation, he stated that the party’s backing of the bill had shattered the trust of Muslims, who thought it represented secular principles.
“I had hoped you would maintain your secular image, but you chose to stand with forces that have repeatedly worked against Muslims,” Hasan wrote in a letter addressed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He said the NDA government’s Waqf Bill followed earlier moves such as the abrogation of Article 370, triple talaq law, and the Citizenship Amendment Act, which he said harmed Muslim interests.
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Hasan stated that he had provided memorandums in Urdu and Hindi requesting the party to resist the bill, but they were overlooked. He stated that the decision to resign came after much contemplation. “This isn’t the conclusion of my duty, but rather an exciting start,” he stated.
Meanwhile, similar developments occurred within the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), another ally of the NDA that supported the Waqf Bill in Parliament.
In Uttar Pradesh, Shahzaib Rizvi, the state general secretary of RLD, stepped down from his position on Friday. In his resignation letter, he charged party leader Jayant Chaudhary with “forsaking secularism” and not backing Muslims. “Many Muslims rallied behind Jayant Chaudhary, but he failed to support us during crucial times,” Rizvi stated.
