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Tejashwi Yadav clarifies 'Waqf in dustbin' remark: ‘What I meant…’
Tejashwi Yadav said he meant that Bihar won’t implement the Waqf (Amendment) Act if INDIA bloc wins the assembly elections.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav clarified his remark about throwing the Waqf Act into the dustbin, saying he meant that the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, would not be implemented in Bihar if the INDIA bloc comes to power.
“What I meant to say is that we will not implement the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in Bihar, if our government comes. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has already said the same earlier. Of course, the matter is still in the Supreme Court. But, yes, the state has its rights and can stop implementation of any act in its own domain,” Yadav clarified in an exlusive interview with Hindustan Times.
Yadav’s remarks sparked backlash from BJP leaders, who accused him of misleading the public over a law already passed by Parliament and upheld by the Supreme Court.
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Tejashwi's ‘Waqf in dustin’ remark
Addressing four public meetings, one each in Katihar and Kishanganj, and two in Araria, Yadav said his party would never bow 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),” he said at a rally in 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 added.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in April. While the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has hailed it as a step towards transparency and empowerment for backward Muslims and women, the Opposition has criticised it, alleging that it infringes upon the rights of Muslims.
Why Tejashwi Yadav's remarks received backlash?
BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain condemned the statements.
“RJD people are from the era of jungle raj. They do not know that the law (Waqf Amendment Act) passed by the central parliament has also been approved by the Supreme Court... Such statements are being made to mislead the public... The Waqf Amendment Act has been passed... RJD is completely disappointed and frustrated,” he said, reported news agency ANI.
Manoj Tiwari also slammed Tejashwi's statement, saying, "These people are already confusing the public. The Waqf Board bill is passed in Parliament, not in the assembly... One should speak according to one's capacity... You should talk about what is in your capacity,” ANI quoted the BJP MP in Patna.
