Patna (Bihar) [India], April 5 : After the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill sparked a rift within the Janata Dal (United), party MLC Khalid Anwar on Saturday emphasised that the JD(U) is a secular and liberal party, asserting that all leaders continue to stand firmly behind Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Speaking to ANI, Anwar dismissed concerns of any mass exit of Muslim leaders from the party. "We sent our concerns, and all our concerns were duly answered, and we gave a transparent stand to the public. JDU is a secular, liberal and democratic party, and all its leaders stand firmly with Nitish Kumar. No Muslim leader will leave the party," Khalid Anwar said.
This comes after five JD(U) leaders resigned from the party after it supported the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament.
Party leaders, including Nadeem Akhtar, Raju Nayyar, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik and Kasim Ansari, resigned from the JD(U).
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had urged all secular political parties, including BJP allies and MPs, to oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill.
Earlier, JD(U) leader Raju Nayyar wrote in his resignation, "I resign from JD(U) after the Waqf Amendment Bill is passed and supported in the Lok Sabha."
In a letter addressed to JDU National President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig expressed deep disappointment, stating that the party had "betrayed the trust of the Muslim community."
In his letter, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik wrote, "Millions of Indian Muslims like us had the firm belief that you are the flag bearer of purely secular ideology. But now this belief has been broken."
Mohammed Kasim Ansari stated that he was resigning as the party's stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill had "deeply hurt" millions of Muslims.
The resignations come at a critical time for JDU, as Bihar gears up for the assembly elections.
Rajya Sabha sat beyond Thursday midnight to pass the legislation. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed." Lok Sabha, which took up discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate with 288 MPs voting in favour of the Bill while 232 against it.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of Waqf properties in India.
The bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.