Daijiworld Media Network – Patna
Patna, Apr 5: Bihar deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday issued a stern warning to those opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling them “traitors” and stating they will face jail time for defying a law duly passed by Parliament.
“Those who are threatening not to comply with the Waqf amendment will have to go to jail. This is not Pakistan, this is Hindustan. This is the Narendra Modi government,” Sinha said, speaking to reporters in Patna. He reiterated that the Bill has already been passed in both Houses of Parliament and is now law.
“Anyone who defies the Waqf amendment and says they won’t accept it is acting against the nation. They should be immediately arrested,” he added.
The remarks came amid protests from within the BJP’s own alliance, with JD(U) leaders expressing dissent. On Thursday, JD(U) MLC Ghulam Gous had criticised the amendment, and on Friday he intensified his stand with a poetic protest, saying, “Jo qatil hai wahi munsheef hai, kisse nyay maange (The one who is the killer is also the judge, whom should we go to for justice)?”
Gous also questioned the BJP’s intentions towards the Muslim community. “If the BJP really cares for Muslim welfare, why hasn’t it implemented the recommendations of the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission and the Sachar Committee report?” he asked.
Adding to the unrest within the JD(U), former MP Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi also voiced his opposition to the Bill. Meanwhile, district-level JD(U) leader Mohammad Qasim Ansari from East Champaran resigned from the party in protest.
A senior JD(U) leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express that there is uncertainty over whether party chief Nitish Kumar was fully on board with the Bill’s current form. “As far as we know, Nitish Kumar wanted the controversial provisions of the Bill to be addressed before lending support. That has not happened,” the leader said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill has stirred political friction, especially among NDA allies in Bihar, and its implications are likely to be closely watched in the coming days.