Patna, April 4 (IANS) RJD National General Secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui has launched a scathing attack on the NDA government over the Waqf Amendment Bill, asserting that just like the Emergency was lifted, this Bill, too, will eventually have to be withdrawn.
“When Emergency was imposed in the country, it was eventually withdrawn by the then government. Similarly, the current government will have to withdraw the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as well,” Siddiqui said.
Speaking to IANS, Siddiqui also criticised the JD(U)’s support for the Bill but refrained from directly targeting Lalan Singh, the JD(U) leader who defended the amendment in Parliament.
Instead, he took a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stating: “The decision to support this Bill was made by a sick Nitish Kumar, not a healthy Nitish Kumar.”
Since the Bill's passage, the JD(U) has been hit by resignations from several prominent Muslim leaders, including Mohammad Kasim Ansari – JD(U)’s 2020 Assembly candidate from Dhaka (East Champaran), Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik – senior JD(U) leader from Jamui and Mohammad Tabrez Aleeg – state General Secretary of the JD(U)’s Minority Wing.
These leaders have cited the JD(U)’s support for the Bill as a “betrayal of secular values and a direct assault on minority rights.”
They have called the Bill a “tool to seize Waqf lands and an act of marginalisation under the guise of reform.”
On the health status of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Siddiqui shared a positive update, stating: “His health is improving, and he is expected to return home in the next 3 to 4 days.”
Lalu Prasad Yadav is currently admitted at AIIMS Delhi, receiving treatment under expert medical supervision.
With the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections approaching, the Waqf Bill has sparked a political storm in the state.
While the BJP and NDA allies defend the Bill, Opposition parties, especially the RJD, are using it to mobilise Muslim voters against the JD(U) and BJP.
