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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday strongly opposed the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill, Waqf (Amendment) Bill, declaring that if his party returns to power in Bihar, the Bill would be "thrown in the dustbin."
Addressing reporters in Patna, Yadav condemned the bill and said, "We will form the government and throw this (Waqf Amendment Bill) in the dustbin." Yadav also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue its alliance with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar only until the upcoming state assembly elections scheduled for October 2025. "BJP will keep Nitish Kumar with them until the elections. After that, both we and the people of Bihar know very well what will happen to him," he added. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed after extended proceedings in Parliament, with Rajya Sabha approving it past midnight on Thursday. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced the results: 128 votes in favour and 95 against. The Lok Sabha passed the bill the previous night after a lengthy debate, with 288 members voting in favour and 232 opposing it. The bill, first introduced in August last year, was revised following recommendations by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. It amends the original Waqf Act of 1995, aiming to streamline the administration of Waqf properties across India. Key features include improving the registration process and incorporating technology to enhance the efficiency of Waqf board operations. After the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill sparked a rift within the Janata Dal (United), party MLC Khalid Anwar said 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). (ANI)
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