In the Bihar elections, Tejashwi Yadav promised to “tear up the Waqf law and throw it in the dustbin”. This statement is being considered as an attempt to woo the Muslim vote bank, which is facing challenge from parties like AIMIM. BJP has called it an attack on a constitutional institution.
At present, Chhath, the great festival of folk faith, is being celebrated with great pomp in Bihar. There is an atmosphere of devotion and cultural harmony everywhere, but even amidst this festival, efforts are being made to make political statements and solve equations. In this series, Grand Alliance’s Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav suddenly mentioned the Waqf Act in the public meetings of Katihar and Kishanganj. Tejashwi announced from the stage that if his government is formed, he will “tear up the Waqf law and throw it in the dustbin.” The strategy behind raising this particular Muslim-centric issue during Chhath has sparked a heated debate in political circles.
Tejashwi gave a statement full of constitutional challenge from the stage
In his election rallies in Kishanganj, Tejashwi Yadav attacked the BJP government at the Center and the RSS and said that when Lalu Yadav was in power in Bihar, the RSS people did not have the courage to create riots. After this he directly raised the issue of Waqf law. Tejashwi said, “The Waqf law made by these people, if our government is formed, we will throw that bill in the dustbin.”
Apart from this, he also talked about the development of the area, but by talking about tearing down the Waqf law, he clearly tried to cater to a particular vote bank. He also accused BJP of fighting between brothers.
BJP’s strong reaction
BJP immediately gave a strong reaction to this statement of Tejashwi Yadav. BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok called this statement a direct challenge to the constitutional institution.
BJP spokesperson said that this is not a bill, but a law made after being passed by both the houses of the Parliament. He said, “If a politician, who is a contender for the post of Chief Minister, talks about tearing a law and throwing it in the garbage, then it is a big problem. This is a matter of directly challenging the constitutional institution. The Election Commission should take cognizance of this.”
Increasing pressure on Muslim vote bank
Election strategists believe that Tejashwi Yadav’s playing the Waqf card amid Chhath shows his political compulsion. RJD’s hold on the Muslim vote bank in Bihar seems to be weakening, the main reasons for which are:
Siege on the post of Deputy CM: After the Grand Alliance announced the name of Tejashwi Yadav for the post of Chief Minister and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni for the post of Deputy Chief Minister, the question arose as to why RJD is not giving the post of Deputy Chief Minister or sufficient stake to its biggest supporter, the Muslim community.
Owaisi-Chirag’s challenge: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is constantly wooing Muslim voters by asking whether Muslims are only there to spread the rug for RJD. At the same time, leaders like Chirag Paswan are also making a dent in RJD’s traditional vote bank by raising the demand of Muslim Chief Minister.
Disgruntled workers: Prashant Kishore and other leaders have also talked about injustice being done to Muslims, due to which the pressure on Tejashwi Yadav to show special attraction towards the minority community has increased.
Political analysts believe that by making statements like ‘throwing the Waqf law in the dustbin’, Tejashwi Yadav is directly trying to send a message to Muslim votes that Muslim interests are supreme for him and he can go to any extent to prove his commitment towards Muslims.
Vote polarization strategy
It is clear that in Bihar elections, efforts are being made by both the major camps (NDA and Grand Alliance) to polarize the votes. While the BJP is sticking to its nationalism and Hindutva cards, now Tejashwi Yadav is also trying to polarize Muslim votes by raising a hyper-sensitive and emotional issue like Waqf.
Tejashwi Yadav knows that retaining Muslim votes in his court is essential for his victory. By raising the religio-legal issue like Waqf, he is not only trying to unite Muslims but also proving that he is the biggest protector of Muslim interests, even if it means stirring up a constitutional debate.