Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Mohammed Qasim Ansari has resigned from the party, citing his strong opposition to the JD(U)’s support for the Waqf Amendment Bill. Ansari, who had been a long-time member of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party, expressed his deep disappointment, stating that the bill contradicted the principles of secularism that JD(U) once upheld, reported the NDTV.
In his resignation letter, written in Hindi and addressed to Nitish Kumar, Ansari lamented that Indian Muslims, including himself, had placed their trust in Kumar’s leadership, believing in his commitment to secular governance. However, the JD(U)’s endorsement of the Waqf Amendment Bill, he argued, had shattered this trust. He criticised the bill for undermining the constitutional rights of Muslims and asserted that it would lead to humiliation and injustice for the community.
Ansari further expressed regret over his years of allegiance to JD(U), stating that the party’s recent stance had betrayed the values he once believed in.
Meanwhile, JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, known as Lalan Singh, defended the Waqf Amendment Bill, claiming that it aimed to bring transparency to the management of Waqf properties for the welfare of the Muslim community. He dismissed allegations that the bill was anti-Muslim, arguing that proper regulation of Waqf properties would ensure their better utilisation.