Janata Dal United (JDU) working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha has clarified that there is no disagreement in the party regarding the Wakf Amendment Bill. While talking to journalists in Patna on Sunday, he said that this is not the first amendment in this Act, changes have been made in it before as well.
Jha said that the main objective of the amendment is to ensure that the poor Muslim community, especially the Pasmanda class and women, get more benefits from Waqf properties. He said, “This bill will bring complete transparency and resources will be used at the right places.”
In the context of Bihar, he presented the fact that the Pasmanda Muslim community is in large numbers in the state, but important facilities like hospitals and schools have not been built for them from Waqf properties. Jha stressed that these communities will get more benefits from the new amendment.
Referring to the contribution of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said that before 2005 there was no reservation in Panchayat elections, but this system was implemented under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. As a result, representatives of the Pasmanda community are now playing an active role in Panchayati Raj institutions.
Commenting on the opposition, Sanjay Jha said that the victims of Bhagalpur riots got justice only during the rule of Nitish Kumar, while this was not possible during the Congress rule. He criticised Rahul Gandhi, asking why he did not speak on the Wakf Amendment Bill in Parliament, and termed his Bihar visit as a “picnic”.
Finally, he praised the administration of Nitish Kumar and said that in the last 20 years, there was no need to impose curfew even once in Bihar.