Nitish Kumar’s party on the backfoot on Waqf
Nitish Kumar’s party JDU’s stand on Wakf Bill 2024 is in controversy. On one hand, the Muslim leaders of the party are opposing the JDU’s stand on the Waqf Bill, on the other hand, the opposition RJD is also targeting Nitish’s politics.
However, this is not the first time that Nitish’s stance on a major Muslim issue is being reversed. Nitish’s party was also seen directly or indirectly standing with BJP on key Muslim issues like Citizenship Amendment Bill, Triple Talaq.
In such a situation, the question arises why Nitish Kumar, who was once the great flag bearer of secularism, stayed away from the issues of Muslims?
JDU on backfoot by supporting Waqf Bill
Union Minister Lalan Singh rose to speak on behalf of the Janata Dal United in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Waqf Bill. Singh supported the bill, saying it would not harm Muslims. He said that reforms are necessary to bring transparency, so our party has decided to support Janata Dal United.
Soon after Lalan’s statement, Bihar JDU Muslim leaders reached out to Nitish Kumar. Minority Welfare Minister Jama Khan was leading these leaders. In a meeting with Nitish Kumar, these leaders questioned the JDU’s stand on the Waqf Bill.
Master who contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kishanganj Mujahid Alam While talking to TV-9 Bharatvarsh, he says, the meeting with Nitish Kumar mostly raised issues that are angering the Muslim community. It includes important issues like empowering the collector, inclusion of non-Hindus in waqf.
Mujahid further said- Nitish Kumar gave us the assurance to think about this after listening to us. Nitish said that nothing will happen which will harm the Muslim community.
According to JDU chief spokesperson KC Tyagi, what Lalan Singhji said on waqf is the official stand of JDU.
Why is Nitish turning his back on the issue of Muslims?
Nitish Kumar is a product of socialist ideology. He has long practiced secular politics, but in the last few years Nitish’s party has either remained silent on Muslim issues or not come out in support. What is the ultimate cause?
1. Lack of Muslim leaders at the top of the party
Janata Dal United once had big Muslim leaders like Ali Anwar Ansari, Manzar Alam, Monajir Hasan and Shahid Ali Khan, but now there are no effective Muslim leaders in the party. He who is there, is sitting on the post. Currently the party has 12 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 4 in the Rajya Sabha, but not a single MP is from the Muslim community.
In the 2024 elections, the party also fielded a Muslim candidate from the Kishanganj seat, but he did not win.
A Muslim leader of the JDU, on condition of anonymity, said – due to the absence of Muslim leaders at the top posts, neither Nitish could think about his issue nor the big leaders are looking at it. Most of the top leaders of the JDU currently belong to the upper caste community. They don’t want to pay attention to Muslim issues.
2. Muslims are not getting full votes
Since 2019, Janata Dal United has not been getting the Muslim votes completely. Earlier Muslims also used to vote for the party. According to CSDS, in the year 2020, the NDA got only 2 percent of the Muslim votes in Bihar. In the 2020 assembly elections, not a single Muslim MLA from Nitish Kumar’s party won and entered the house.
Finally, Nitish brought Jama Khan, a BSP Muslim MLA, into the party and made him the Minority Welfare Minister.
According to the Caste Survey, the Muslim population in Bihar is 17.7 percent. Nitish’s pain regarding this was also expressed in Lok Sabha Election 2024. Nitish said that you people should vote for only one party.
Nitish also spoke about the work done for Muslims. However, JDU’s Muslim candidate could not win from Kishanganj.
