The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 has triggered a fresh controversy within Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), with multiple individuals claiming to resign from the party in protest. However, the JD(U) has dismissed these resignations as “bogus”, alleging a political conspiracy.
On Friday, another person, Tabrez Siddiqui, who identified himself as a state general secretary of JD(U)’s minority cell, announced his resignation. This follows the alleged resignations of Mohammad Qasim Ansari from East Champaran and Nawaz Malik from Jamui, both of whom shared their resignation letters on social media on Thursday.
JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad refuted these claims, stating, “These individuals never held any official post in the party. The JD(U) firmly supports the NDA’s decision, which will benefit crores of poor Muslims.” He further alleged that some of the so-called resigning members were associated with rival parties or had contested elections as Independents.
Meanwhile, senior JD(U) leaders Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi and Bihar Shia Waqf Board Chairman Syed Afzal Abbas voiced concerns that the Bill did not incorporate key suggestions from Muslim community leaders. However, neither explicitly criticized Nitish Kumar or the JD(U)’s support for the Bill.
The controversy has sparked internal debates about JD(U)’s Muslim voter base, especially with Bihar’s assembly elections looming later this year. Despite its long-standing alliance with the BJP, JD(U) has maintained a “secular” image, securing a portion of Muslim votes in past elections.
Adding fuel to the fire, the opposition RJD took a jibe at Nitish Kumar by posting a morphed image of him on X (formerly Twitter), dressed in RSS attire, with the caption “RSS certified Chief Minister Cheat-ish Kumar” and the hashtag #WaqfAmendmentBill.
As the political storm intensifies, the JD(U) faces a tough challenge in maintaining its coalition balance while keeping its Muslim vote bank intact.
