Not amend, but abolish Waqf Bill: Bihar Minister

Patna, Nov 25 (IANS) Bihar Public Health Engineering Minister and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Bablu said on Monday that the Waqf Bill should not be amended but completely abolished.

“The Waqf Board Bill should be entirely abolished rather than amended. The decision regarding the Waqf Board will be decisive for Bihar. All religious practices like Namaz will eventually face restrictions,” the Bihar minister said.

He also supported Union Minister Lallan Singh's claim that minorities do not vote for the JD-U despite the Nitish Kumar government having done many things for the community.

Bablu suggested that development policies should now be tailored while keeping religion in mind, signalling a potential shift in how governance and religious considerations might intersect.

The opposition is fiercely resisting any amendments to the Waqf Board Bill and has accused the BJP government of using the issue to polarise communities for political gain.

On Sunday, Union Minister and Munger MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lallan Singh) addressed the Muslim community's voting patterns in Muzaffarpur, saying that Muslims have not traditionally supported the JD-U in elections.

He urged party workers not to remain under any illusions, asserting that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is fully aware of the demographics behind his electoral support.

Singh emphasised that Nitish Kumar’s focus remains on Bihar's overall development, irrespective of voting trends.

On the contentious issue of the Waqf Board, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also reiterated the BJP’s stance on the issue. During a speech at the BJP headquarters celebrating the Maharashtra election win, PM Modi claimed that the Waqf Board has no constitutional basis.

He also accused the Congress of “unjustly” transferring properties to the Waqf Board during its tenure, a move he suggested was politically motivated.

--IANS

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