The passage of the controversial Waqf amendment act in India’s parliament would not have been possible without the support of two key allies of the BJP – the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) who have 28 MPs between them.
Both parties have had a substantial share of the Muslim vote in their respective states, but their support for this contentious legislation could hit them hard, particularly the JDU which is facing elections in Bihar in just a few months from now. The first casualty for the JDU was the resignation of a senior party leader on Thursday who wrote a scathing letter criticising the party’s stand on the bill.
During the parliament debate, MPs of both the JDU and the TDP went out of their way to talk about the welfare of Muslims and “secularism” and what they had done for Muslims in their states. While the BJP strongly defended the bill, the opposition has called it unconstitutional and an attempt to divide the country. The Congress plans to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The position of the TDP and the JDU, therefore, reflects the deep dilemma they face – supporting the BJP on one hand and keeping their Muslim vote bank intact on the other.
Iftar boycott
Late last month, a prominent Muslim organisation in Bihar boycotted the Iftar hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in protest against his support for the Waqf Amendment Bill. At least 6 other organisations supported this move. Even though some Muslim leaders did turn up for Nitish Kumar’s Iftar despite the boycott call, senior JDU leaders admit that the polarisation over the Waqf bill has hurt them politically. As Jan Suraaj party chief Prashant Kishor pointed out, “The government does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha. If leaders like Nitish Kumar refuse to support this bill then it cannot become law. When history is written, the blame for this law will fall more on leaders like Nitish Kumar, than on the BJP.”
In a damage control exercise, the Nitish government is trying to change the conversation to how allocation for Muslim welfare under them has gone up from Rs35 million in 2004-05 to Rs10 billion in 2025-26. With a huge Muslim voter base in Bihar, Nitish Kumar knows that losing the support of the community could cost him a number of seats. His real worry is losing this base to his arch rival, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Some analysts have been trying to spin this as a clever move to help consolidate Hindu votes for the BJP in Bihar which in turn means strengthening the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Except that this consolidation would come at the cost of the JDU. A prospect that would delight the BJP no doubt but could put the JDU’s future as a junior and subservient partner to the BJP.
Tightrope walk
For the TDP as well, this is a tightrope walk. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also hosted an Iftar and took part in prayers organised by Muslim religious leaders last month. In fact, several Iftar dinners were organised by TDP leaders across districts to reach out to Muslims who are unhappy with their support for the Waqf bill.
Ultimately, allies of the BJP who have traditionally found support among minorities are taking a huge political gamble with their own futures. The only winner is the BJP which seeks to gain from polarisation and a consolidation of the Hindu vote.
