Rift in JDU as 5th leader resigns over party's stand on Waqf Bill

JDU chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Fifth leader from Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has resigned over the party's stand on Waqf Bill in the Parliament.

The latest resignation came from Tabrez Hasan, the party’s youth wing vice president. Before him, JDU Minority Cell State Secretary Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik, State General Secretary Mohammad Tabrez Siddiqui from Aligarh, Bhojpur-based member Mohammad Dilshan Rain, and former candidate Mohammad Qasim Ansari had stepped down.

Tabrez Hasan sent his resignation letter to the JDU chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday. In his resignation letter, he said that the party's support for the bill had broken the trust of Muslims, who believed that it stood for secular values, according to a report by India Today.

The passage of the Waqf Bill has been termed as "anti-Muslim" Opposition parties as well as several religious organisations.

"I had hoped you would maintain your secular image, but you chose to stand with forces that have repeatedly worked against Muslims," Hasan wrote in a letter addressed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said the NDA government's Waqf Bill followed earlier moves such as the abrogation of Article 370, triple talaq law, and the Citizenship Amendment Act, which he said harmed Muslim interests.

He said the resignation was a result of deep thought. "This is not the end of my responsibility, but a new beginning," he said.

In a post-midnight push, Parliament cleared the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after an intense debate in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The bill secured passage with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, following its earlier approval in the Lok Sabha, where it saw a tighter contest — 288 MPs supported it, while 232 opposed.