Waqf Act will be thrown into dustbin, if INDIA bloc comes to power: Tejashwi

Tejashwi Yadav also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ‘hijacking’ Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar

KATIHAR / KISHANGANJ /ARARIA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday said the Waqf Act would be thrown into the dustbin if the INDIA bloc comes to power in Bihar.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addressing a press conference Patna on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Addressing four public meetings– one each at Katihar and Kishanganj and two in Araria–, Yadav said his party would never give in before communal forces. “It was Lalu Prasad who stopped the chariot of Adwaniji by arresting him in Bihar. I am his (Lalu’s) son and I can’t be intimidated by their geedarhbhabki (bluff),” said Yadav, while addressing a public meeting at Alta Haat under Kochadhaman assembly constituency.

“But chief minister Nitish Kumar has always supported such forces, and it is because of him that the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its affiliates are spreading communal hatred in the state as well as in the country. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) should be called ‘Bharat Jalao Party’. If the INDIA bloc comes to power in the state, we will throw the Waqf Act into the dustbin,” he said.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in April. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has hailed the law as a step towards transparency and empowerment for backward Muslims and women in the community, while the Opposition has criticised it, alleging that it infringes upon the rights of Muslims.

On Saturday, RJD MLC Mohammad Qari Sohaib stirred a controversy by stating that if Yadav becomes the CM of Bihar, “all bills will be torn apart, including the Waqf bill”, inviting a barrage of attacks from their opponents, who questioned how a central law could be changed by the chief minister of a state.

In a rally at Araria, Yadav accused the BJP of “hijacking” chief minister Nitish Kumar and claimed the JD(U) strongman had deliberately been not projected as CM face of the NDA as the BJP has the hidden agenda of making its own chief minister, in case the coalition gets enough numbers to form government in Bihar.

“Union home minister Amit Shah has said the MLAs of the ruling NDA would decide on the CM face after polls. It means, there is no chance of CM Kumar being made the next CM. Think if the BJP gets its own chief minister, what will they do to the state,” Yadav said.

Yadav, who is the chief ministerial face of the INDIA bloc, urged minorities to not get divided or distracted by other forces so that the INDIA bloc gets to form the government.

Without naming Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, Yadav alleged, “Some people are trying to divide votes by fielding candidates forcefully, but people should not pay attention to such candidates.” He claimed that this election is a fight to protect the Constitution, democracy and brotherhood.

He expressed concern over the condition of Madarsa and assured them that they would be developed if they were voted to power. He said all the madarsas either closed or facing closure would be reopened.

Picking the poll issue of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Yadav said, “Soon after the formation of our government, Seemanchal Development Authority will be constituted to bring about all round development of Seemanchal.”

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he alleged that PM Modi had been abusing Bihar during his visits.

The RJD leader alleged that the NDA government was copying the election promises he was making. “We promised an increase in the old-age pension. The Nitish Kumar government increased it from ₹400 per month to ₹1,100 per month. I promise, we will increase it to ₹2,000 per month,” he said.

The RJD has fielded 9 candidates in Seemanchal’s four districts Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea consisting of 24 assembly seats. The party had a very dismal show in the 2020 assembly election when it could just bag one seat in Seemanchal region.

The Congress has 12 candidates while the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has fielded two candidates. The CPI-ML has one. The Congress had bagged five seats in 2020 while the CPI-ML one.

Meanwhile, over a dozen AIMIM leaders joined the RJD in the presence of Tejashwi Yadav in Patna on Sunday. Others who joined the party included Pragati Mehta from the BJP and Altaf Alam Raju from the JD(U).

On the other hand, state BJP President Dilip Jaiswal on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Opposition INDIA bloc, accusing the Congress and the RJD leaders of indulging in “Jumlebaazi” ahead of the Assembly election.

“INDIA bloc, Congress and RJD leaders have started doing ‘Jumlebaazi’. They don’t think of anyone when they are in power, and now, when the elections are just 10 days away, they have started all this drama. They are certain of their defeat,” Jaiswal said while addressing reporters in Patna.

( with inputs from agencies).