Waqf Act to be junked if INDIA wins: Tejashwi

The Waqf (Amendment) Act will be “thrown into the dustbin” if the INDIA bloc is voted to power in Bihar, the Opposition coalition’s CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav said on Sunday.

Addressing back-to-back public rallies in the Muslim-dominated Katihar, Kishanganj and Araria districts, Yadav said his father, Lalu Prasad, the RJD chief, never compromised with communal forces in the country.

“But Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has always supported such forces, and it is because of him that the RSS and its affiliates are spreading communal hatred in the state as well as in the country. The BJP should be called ‘Bharat Jalao Party’. If the INDIA bloc comes to power in the state, we will throw the Waqf Act into the dustbin,” he said.

Sonia, Sukhu among 40 star campaigners

The Congress on Sunday unveiled 40 star campaigners for the first phase of the Bihar poll. The list is led by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal. HP CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, former CMs Bhupesh Baghel, Charanjeet Singh Channi and Ashok Gehlot also figure in the list. TNS

Advertisement

The Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in April. The ruling BJP-led NDA has hailed the law as a step towards transparency and empowerment for backward Muslims and women in the community, while the Opposition has criticised it, alleging that it infringes upon the rights of Muslims.

On Saturday, RJD MLC Mohammad Qari Sohaib stirred a controversy by stating that if Yadav becomes the CM of Bihar, “all bills will be torn apart, including the Waqf Bill”, inviting a barrage of attacks from their opposition, who questioned how a central law could be changed by the chief minister of a state.