Criticizing Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar for his stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was cleared by both Houses of Parliament, RJD leader Arif Jilani put up his poster opposite the residence of RJD leader and former CM Rabri Devi.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the early hours of Friday following a lengthy and intense debate in the Upper House, which saw the contentious bill getting a nod by a majority of 128 votes against 95. The bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha just a day after it was passed in the Lok Sabha following a marathon debate that lasted for almost 12 hours.
Comparing Nitish Kumar with a Chameleon, a type of Old World lizard known for its ability to change colour, the poster read in Hindi, “Girgit rang badalta tha, par ye the usse bhi zyada speed se rang badalne waale nikle. Iftaar dekar thagne waale. Eid main topi pehnekar topi pehnane waale…Ab Janta chunaav main sabak sikhaayegi” (Cameleon used to change colour, but these people changed colour faster than that. Those who gave Iftaar and cheated and those who wore cap on Eid…now the people will teach them a lesson in elections).
#WATCH | Patna | RJD leader Arif Jilani puts up a poster criticising Bihar CM & JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar over his stand on the Waqf Amendment Bill
The poster has been put opposite the residence of RJD leader & former CM Rabri Devi. pic.twitter.com/GZUrXnX9RE
— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025
Similar to other key allies in the ruling NDA, the Nitish Kumar-led party had also supported the contentious bill in Parliament with a key aide of the Bihar CM stating that there was “no confusion” within regarding it.
The fresh poster against Kumar comes after JD(U) leader Mohammed Qasim Ansari on Thursday resigned from the party in protest against the party’s support for the Waqf Bill. In a letter to JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Ansari said the party’s stance had shattered the trust of millions of Indian Muslims who believed JD(U) would uphold secular values.
However, when asked about Ansari, JD(U) national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismissed him as a “non-entity” and claimed that nobody knew him. “Who is he? He has never been an office bearer of consequence in the party or a prominent figure. I don’t even know him. He never held any post in the party, even at the district level. He is a non-entity,” Prasad told PTI.
Interestingly, JD(U) did not contest the Dhaka Assembly seat in East Champaran district in the last elections, which is currently represented by BJP’s Pawan Jaiswal. Ansari had earlier claimed that he was the potential candidate of the party from that seat in the upcoming Assembly polls. A key aide of the Bihar CM said there was “no confusion” within JD(U) regarding the party’s support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.
Senior minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who previously served as the state president of the party, remarked when asked about leaders like national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliywai publicly expressing dissatisfaction with JD(U)’s stance on the issue. “There is no confusion within the party over the Waqf Amendment Bill. All party leaders, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, are in support of the Bill,” Choudhary told PTI.
In his letter to the Bihar CM, Ansari wrote, “Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith in you as a flag bearer of a truly secular ideology. However, that belief has now been shattered. The stand taken by JD(U) on the Waqf Bill Amendment Act 2024 has deeply shocked millions of dedicated Indian Muslims and activists. We are extremely disheartened by how Lallan Singh delivered his speech and supported this bill in the Lok Sabha.”
(With agencies’ Inputs)
