Senior leader resigns over JDU’s support to Wakf Bill; First spark of rebellion!
#News Bureau. April 4,2025
After the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, the first major rebellion has come to the fore in Nitish Kumar’s party JDU in Bihar. Senior party leader Dr. Mohammad Qasim Ansari has resigned from JDU over the support of the bill. Ansari has said in his resignation that this bill is against Indian Muslims and violates the fundamental rights of the Constitution. This incident has not only exposed the discontent within JDU, but has also raised many questions for the NDA allies. Is this resignation just a beginning? Will Muslim leaders in other NDA parties also distance themselves from their parties? And will this bill affect the vote bank and support base of these parties? These questions have now become the center of discussion in political corridors.
Dr. Mohammad Qasim Ansari, who was the spokesperson of JDU’s East Champaran District Medical Cell, questioned Nitish Kumar’s secular image in his resignation. He wrote, ‘Millions of Indian Muslims had unshakeable faith in Nitish Kumar that he is the flag-bearer of secular ideology, but JDU’s stand on the Waqf Bill is going to break this faith.’
This resignation is a big setback for Nitish Kumar, who had maintained his acceptance among the Muslim community for a long time. Political observers believe that this incident could be the first spark of discontent within the JDU, which could later turn into widespread resentment among the Muslim leaders and workers of the party.
Other major NDA allies like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JDU have supported the Waqf Amendment Bill. Both TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu and JDU’s Nitish Kumar have been largely dependent on the Muslim vote bank in their respective states. But after supporting this bill, the question arises whether Muslim MPs, MLAs or leaders of these parties can also follow the path of Qasim Ansari?
The Muslim community in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh considers this bill an attack on their religious and property rights. In such a situation, if there are more resignations, it can become a big challenge for the NDA. Although, no such major movement has been seen within the TDP yet, but the example of JDU can be a warning for other parties.
Parties like JDU and TDP are almost certain to lose the Muslim vote bank. Muslims and backward classes have been a major base of Nitish Kumar’s popularity in Bihar. But after the support of the Waqf Bill, resentment is clearly visible in the Muslim community.
The boycott of Nitish’s Iftar party in Patna in August last year by many Muslim organizations was an indication that his Muslim vote bank has already started slipping. Now Qasim Ansari’s resignation can act as adding fuel to this fire. If this discontent continues till the assembly or Lok Sabha elections, then JDU’s support base may slip away, which may put its political existence in danger.
Similarly, Muslim votes are important for TDP in Andhra Pradesh. Although Chandrababu Naidu has so far taken a balanced stand on this issue, but if the opposition in the Muslim community increases, then TDP may also face the risk of losing its vote bank. Experts say that if both the parties lose minority votes, their dependence on BJP will increase which can reduce their independent political influence.
There are signs of change in the strategy of political parties after the Waqf Amendment Bill. While BJP can present this bill as a victory of its Hindutva policy, it can prove to be a double-edged sword for the NDA allies. Parties like JDU and TDP will now have to decide how far they can go with the BJP’s agenda, without losing their core vote bank. On the other hand, opposition parties, like RJD and Congress, can take advantage of this opportunity and try to attract the Muslim community towards themselves. In Bihar, RJD has already been accusing Nitish of abandoning his secular image, and now this issue can give it further strength.
Mohammad Qasim Ansari’s resignation is a warning to JDU and NDA. This bill can not only increase discontent within these parties, but can also affect their vote bank and mass base. If the opposition of Muslim leaders and community increases, then parties like JDU and TDP may have to find new ways for their survival. It will be interesting to see in the coming days how much and how this bill changes the politics of India. Will Nitish and Naidu be able to strengthen their secular image again, or will their identity get blurred in the shadow of BJP?
