Thu Apr 03 17:05:14 UTC 2025: ## JD(U) Loses Two Leaders Over Support for Controversial Waqf Amendment Bill

**PATNA, INDIA** – Two senior leaders of the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), Mohammed Qasim Ansari and Mohammad Ashraf Ansari, resigned from the party on [Date], citing their strong opposition to the party’s support for the Waqf Amendment Bill. The resignations are a significant blow to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party, particularly given the leaders’ prominence within the party’s minority wing.

Both Ansari’s expressed deep disappointment with the JD(U)’s stance, stating that the bill contradicts the party’s professed secular ideology and will harm the Muslim community. Mohammed Qasim Ansari, in his resignation letter, stated that the bill violates fundamental constitutional rights and humiliates Indian Muslims. Mohammad Ashraf Ansari, head of the JD(U)’s minority wing, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the party’s support for the bill has broken the faith of millions of Indian Muslims who previously viewed Nitish Kumar as a champion of secularism.

The resignations follow a speech by JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) in the Lok Sabha, where he voiced his support for the bill. Singh argued that the bill aims to increase transparency and improve the management of Waqf properties for the benefit of the Muslim community, dismissing opposition claims that it is anti-Muslim as a politically motivated narrative.

The Waqf Amendment Bill passed with the support of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which holds a majority in the Rajya Sabha. While the government maintains the bill is intended to improve the welfare of Muslims, the resignations highlight the growing concerns among some within the JD(U) and the wider Muslim community about its potential impact. The resignations leave the JD(U) facing internal divisions and potential electoral ramifications as it navigates the political fallout from its support of this contentious legislation.

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