The Waqf Amendment Bill “will be consigned to the dustbin” in Bihar if the Rashtriya Janata Dal comes to power in the state, party leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday was quoted as saying by PTI on Saturday.

In a press conference, Yadav also stated that the Rashtriya Janata Dal has moved the Supreme Court against the bill.

Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled to be held later this year.

Yadav’s statement came on the same day that President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bill. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, and in the Lok Sabha at around 2 am on Thursday, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.

After the president’s assent, the Waqf Bill has become a law.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill proposed amendments to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

On Saturday, Yadav said that all MPs of the Rashtriya Janata Dal had opposed the Waqf Bill in both Houses of Parliament as it violates Article 26 of the Constitution, which deals with freedom to manage religious affairs, reported PTI.

“The bill has been brought with the intention of diverting public attention away from pressing problems like unemployment and helping the BJP in its politics of polarisation,” said Bihar’s former deputy chief minister. “But we will not allow implementation of this bill in Bihar.”

Yadav also criticised Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar for “maintaining silence” when the bill was being discussed, reported The Hindu.

“It shows how the government is being run in Bihar,” said the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha. After winning 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and losing the majority in the Lower House, the BJP has had to rely on its alliance partners Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party to pass bills.

The Janata Dal (United) supported the Waqf Bill, saying that it was not against Muslims. The party had earlier said that the bill aimed to ensure transparency in the operation of the waqf boards and was not an attempt to interfere with mosques. However, it urged the Union government not to implement the bill with retrospective effect.

On March 23, several Muslim organisations in Bihar boycotted an Iftar dinner organised by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his home in Patna on Sunday, citing the Janata Dal (United)’s support for the bill.

The Telugu Desam Party had also announced its support for the bill.

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