Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) convened a press conference in Patna on Saturday as a damage-control exercise after a number of Muslim leaders resigned from the JD(U) following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament and several other leaders went against the party line during media interactions.

However, the event further damaged the party’s position as prominent leaders present at the press conference were sidelined and the party spokesperson also refused to take questions from the media.

Advertisement

The press conference was attended by several prominent leaders including JD(U) MLCs Ghulam Gaus, Afaque Ahmed Khan and Khalid Anwar, former members of Rajya Sabha Ahmed Ashfaq Karim and Kahkashan Parveen, former Deputy Chairman Salim Parvez, Bihar Sunni Waqf Board President Mohammad Irshadullah and Bihar Shia Waqf Board President Syed Afzal Abbas.

But they were sidelined.

JDU Minority Cell President Ashraf Ansari and State Spokesperson Anjum Ara made the initial statements. She said that the JDU supported the Bill as the JPC had addressed all concerns raised by the JDU leaders.

The leaders refused to take questions from the mediapersons and left the press conference.

The media was invited in the name of top Muslim leaders of the party and an impression was given that they will strongly present the party’s position over the Waqf Amendment Bill and counter the opposition parties over the Bill.

But the way top leaders were sidelined at the press conference and they refused to speak on the issue even after the press conference gave an impression that they were forced by the party leadership to attend the press conference just to prove their loyalty to the party.

The party leadership was also afraid that if given a chance, leaders like Ghulam Gaus, Khalid Anwar and Syed Afzal Abbas will go against the party line as they have been doing for the past few days.

These leaders have told the media that the party failed to address the concerns of Muslim community.

JDU MLC Ghulam Gaus has termed the Waqf Amendment Bill unconstitutional. He has appealed to the President to return this undemocratic bill. He has said that Muslims are being targeted under the guise of the Waqf Bill. Muslims should not be forced to take to the streets.

Another JDU MLC Khalid Anwar has said that the Muslim community is scared and their trust has been broken. The central government has failed to convince the community how it is beneficial to them.

If this Bill is for the Muslim community, then justice should be done to them. There should be a lot of reform in the Bill. He also said that the government should not spread hatred in the society. The government should try to satisfy them, he said.