In response to some JD(U) leaders resigning over the Waqf Bill, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said on Saturday that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is committed to the welfare of minorities and that his backing of the Waqf Amendment Bill would not harm Muslims’ interests.

He said that while these people belonged to the party, several of them had run for office in elections from other parties before.

“The names that are claiming to be part of JD(U) are not actually a part of the party,” JD(U) national spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told ANI. Mohammed Qasim Ansari ran from AIMIM in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election. A few more names are… Minorities’ dissatisfaction in JD(U) is thus a plot.

The welfare of minorities is guaranteed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The public thinks that nothing would happen that would be detrimental to Muslims’ interests if Nitish Kumar backs the Waqf Amendment Bill. It is undoubtedly a glimmer of optimism for Muslims.

Additionally, he emphasized that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is dedicated to the well-being of minorities and that Muslims’ interests will not be harmed by his support for the Waqf Amendment Bill.

Nadeem Akhtar, Raju Nayyar, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik, and Mohammed Kasim Ansari were among the five JD(U) leaders who had previously quit the party due to the party’s backing of the Waqf Amendment Bill.

In his resignation letter, JD(U) leader Raju Nayyar said, “I resign from JD(U) after Waqf Amendment Bill is passed and supported in the Lok Sabha.”
He continued by saying, “I am deeply hurt by the JD(U) voting in favour of this black law, which oppresses Muslims,” expressing his profound dissatisfaction with the party.

“I step down from my position as the previous state secretary of JD(U) youth and the party’s main member. I ask that you release me from all obligations and write to the Honorable Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” he said.

The party had “betrayed the trust of the Muslim community,” Tabrez Siddiqui Alig said in a letter to JDU National President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, expressing his profound sadness.

“Millions of Indian Muslims, like us, firmly believed that you are the flag bearer of purely secular ideology,” stated Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik in his letter. However, this notion has subsequently been disproved. Mohammed Kasim Ansari announced his resignation, saying that millions of Muslims had been “deeply hurt” by the party’s position on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The resignations occur as Bihar prepares for the assembly elections, which is a crucial moment for JDU.
Following a protracted and contentious discussion, the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was approved by the Parliament early on Friday morning. Jagdeep Dhankhar, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, stated: “Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent 0.

It is approved. Additionally, Parliament has approved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024.