Taking a dig at Bihar CM, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) posted a photoshopped image of Nitish Kumar in RSS attire and called him ‘Cheatish Kumar.’ The attack came after JD (U), with 12 MPs in the Lok Sabha, supported the Bill.
Apart from JD(U), the TDP, with 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, also threw its weight behind the Waqf Bill
, making its passage possible.
The RJD’s photoshopped image, shared on social media, shows Kumar wearing the trademark RSS white shirt and khaki shorts, with the caption “RSS-certified Chief Minister Cheatish Kumar.”
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 has sparked widespread discontent among Muslim leaders in the JD(U), with three leaders- Mohammad Qasim Ansari, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik, and Mohammad Tabrez Siddiqui — resigning from the party in protest.
JD(U) national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad stated that neither Qasim Ansari nor Shahnawaz Malik was a member of ‘our rank and file.’
Many Muslim leaders, including senior leader Ghulam Gaus and former Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Rasool Balyawi, have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with Kumar’s support for passing the bill.
Some Muslim leaders in Bihar said they would challenge the bill before the Supreme Court.
This comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections in November this year. The JD(U) has traditionally enjoyed the support of the Muslim community, which accounts for nearly 17% of Bihar’s population.
Following a 12-hour debate, Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with 128 votes in favour and 95 against in the Rajya Sabha.
On Thursday, the Lok Sabha approved the Bill with a vote of 288-232. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated, “Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed.”
Additionally, the Rajya Sabha also passed the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
