Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor on Wednesday called the Waqf Amendment Bill an attempt at political polarisation and also attacked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for supporting it.
Speaking to ANI, Kishor said the Bill is being pushed through without taking the affected communities into confidence. He pointed out that many Muslims feel threatened by it and criticised the government for rushing the legislation.
“It is unfortunate… If changes impact any section, they should be taken into confidence. Many Muslims feel threatened. The government is rushing this for polarisation politics,” Kishor said.
Kishor did not hold back in his attack on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He argued that the BJP does not consider Muslims its vote bank, but leaders like Nitish Kumar claim to support the community while backing laws that harm them. He accused Kumar of hypocrisy, saying that despite invoking leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Jayaprakash Narayan, Kumar is helping the BJP pass a Bill that many Muslims oppose.
“The government does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha. If leaders like Nitish Kumar refuse to support this Bill, it cannot become law. When history is written, the blame for this law will fall more on leaders like Nitish Kumar than on the BJP,” Kishor said.
Last week, Kishor also participated in a protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill organised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) at Gardanibagh in Patna.
His party, Jan Suraaj, has been trying to appeal to Muslim voters by presenting itself as an alternative to the RJD. He claims that Muslims vote for RJD out of fear of the BJP and accuses Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) of betraying them.
The Waqf Amendment Bill is set to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The bill has faced resistance from opposition parties and Muslim organisations like the AIMPLB. Despite opposition, the NDA has a majority in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, making its passage likely.
