Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party JD(U) is now witnessing a spate of resignations after the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, was passed by both houses of Parliament. A number of the party’s top Muslim leaders have resigned since the bill’s passage, saying they oppose it and the Chief Minister’s backing of it. The resignations have raised concerns within JD(U), particularly considering the impending Bihar Assembly polls later this year.
More than five Muslim leaders, such as Rajoo Nayar, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig, Nadeem Akhtar, Mohammad Shah Nawaz Malik, and Mohammad Kasim Ansari, quit the party. In protest, they have removed their nameplates and raised slogans against Nitish Kumar for betraying their trust. JD(U) has found itself in a precarious position trying to manage the fallout of the Waqf Bill controversy as voices of discontent grow within the party.
Among the leaders who resigned, Rajoo Nayar has described the Waqf Amendment Bill as “black law” against Muslims while expressing disapproval of JD(U)’s support for it. After the party supported the bill, he said he could no longer remain in it and resigned from all positions.
In the clip, another leader, Tabrez Hasan, who has resigned from Nitish Kumar’s JDU, addressed his resignation to the chief minister, alleging that he had “betrayed the trust of the Muslim community.”. In a letter he wrote, he stated that he hoped Nitish would preserve his secular image but copped an inside appeal when the Chief Minister teamed up with those who have always conspired against the welfare of Muslims.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, passed the Lok Sabha by 288 votes in favour and 232 against it after over 12 hours of long discussion. In the Rajya Sabha, too, it passed with 128 votes in favour and 95 votes against it. Outrage erupted during the discussions, prompting the Congress to request 45 minutes to address the bill. Before becoming law, it reaches the President’s desk.