Several leaders from Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD(U)) resigned in protest against the party’s support for the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament. At least five leaders stepped down as the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The most recent resignation came from Nadeem Akhtar, following the departure of four others, Raju Nayyar, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig, Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik and Mohammed Kasim Ansari. Nadeem, Raju, and Tabrez resigned on Friday, while Shahnawaz and Kasim Ansari had already submitted their resignations on Thursday.

In his resignation letter, Raju Nayyar stated, "I resign from JD(U) after the Waqf Amendment Bill is passed and supported in the Lok Sabha." Expressing his deep disappointment with the party, he added, "I am deeply hurt by the JD(U) voting in favour of this black law, which oppresses Muslims." He further wrote, "I resign from the post of former state secretary of JD(U) youth and primary membership of the party. I request to send a letter to the Honourable CM Nitish Kumar and relieve me from all responsibilities."

Meanwhile, an Independent MP from Purnia, Pappu Yadav, asserted that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar was not in a good mental state and had lost control over his party. He stated, "Nitish Kumar ji's mental state is not very good at present. In his party, 90 per cent of the leaders are against SC/ST but aligned to the BJP. After 5 PM on the day voting takes place in Bihar, the BJP will no longer need Nitish Kumar... JD(U) is not in the hands of Nitish ji now," while speaking to the news agency ANI.

In a letter addressed to the JD(U) national president and Bihar chief minister, Tabrez Siddiqui Alig expressed intense disappointment, accusing the party of "betraying the trust of the Muslim community." Similarly, Shahnawaz Malik noted in his letter, "Millions of Indian Muslims like us firmly believed that you stood for a truly secular ideology. That belief now stands shattered."

In a letter, Shah Nawaz Malik expressed his disappointment, stating, “Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith that you are the flag bearer of a purely secular ideology. But now, this belief has been shattered. Millions of dedicated Indian Muslims and activists like us are deeply shocked by JDU's stand regarding the Waqf Bill Amendment Act 2024.” Additionally, Ansari criticised the Waqf Bill, calling it “against Indian Muslims” and asserting that it could not be accepted “under any circumstances.”

He further wrote, “This bill violates many fundamental rights of the Constitution. Through this bill, Indian Muslims are being humiliated and insulted. Neither you nor your party realises this. I regret that I gave many years of my life to the party.”

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismissed the resignations of Ansari and Malik, stating that neither of them was officially affiliated with the party. Ansari, who hails from East Champaran, and Malik, from Jamui, were not recognised as JD(U) members. Ansari, however, shared a resignation letter on social media, identifying himself as the president of JD(U)’s medical cell in East Champaran. He also claimed to have been a candidate for the Dhaka assembly seat. However, JD(U) did not contest that seat in the 2020 elections. Instead, BJP’s Pawan Jaiswal, a JD(U) ally, won the Dhaka seat.

Prasad told news agency PTI, "I wonder what to say about things. I have been associated with the party for a long time. I say with full responsibility that neither person has been a part of our rank and file." He added, "We admit that some genuine members of our party, like national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi, are not very happy with the passage of the Bill. Their grievances will be dealt with at the appropriate level. But those who are coming up with the claim of resignation from the party were never members in the first place."

On Thursday, Baliyawi and Syed Afzal Abbas, the head of the Bihar Shia Waqf Board, voiced their concerns about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. They pointed out that several suggestions made by Muslim leaders during meetings with the Joint Parliamentary Committee were not incorporated into the final draft. However, they refrained from criticising their party’s decision to support the Bill.

On early Friday, Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, following a detailed discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, with 128 members voting in favour and 95 against it. It had already cleared the Lok Sabha, where 288 MPs supported it, and 232 opposed it.

The controversy surrounding the Waqf Bill is expected to remain a key issue in Bihar as the state gears up for assembly elections later this year. Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) recently staged a protest in Patna, urging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and NDA allies, including Chirag Paswan, to block the Bill.

Nitish Kumar has highlighted his commitment to the principles of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, highlighting his track record of supporting secular values despite being an ally of the BJP since the 1990s. At a recent event Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended, Kumar spoke about his government’s initiatives for minorities. He also took a dig at the RJD, which governed Bihar for 15 years, accusing it of failing to prevent Hindu-Muslim clashes despite receiving strong support from Muslim voters.

As the state heads toward elections, the RJD, Congress, and Left parties are expected to use the Waqf Bill issue to attack the JD(U). They aim to leverage the controversy to rally Muslim voters behind the Mahagathbandhan alliance.