Waqf Bill will be in dustbin if RJD wins Bihar: Tejashwi Yadav
Patna, Apr 5 (PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday asserted that the Waqf Bill, passed earlier this week by Parliament, "will be consigned to the dust bin" in Bihar if his party came to power in the state.
Addressing a press conference here, the leader of the opposition also disclosed that his party has moved the Supreme Court, joining the litigants who have challenged the Bill.
Yadav, who is a former deputy chief minister, also took a swipe at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), claiming: "They are trying hard, but without success, to prove that the Bill will benefit Muslims".
"Just look at how the JD(U) has forced its Muslim leaders to address a press conference, which was quite a fiasco," alleged the RJD leader.
The JD(U) press conference, which concluded minutes before Yadav began his briefing, was attended by national general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan, MLCs Khalid Anwar and Ghulam Ghaus, and former Rajya Sabha MPs Ashfaq Karim and Kehkashan Parveen, among others.
None of the senior leaders spoke after minority cell chairman Afzal Ansari and party spokesperson Anjum Ara read out a written statement highlighting the chief minister's efforts for the welfare of Muslims, in contrast with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who was accused of paying lip service to the community.
The press conference ended with all the leaders leaving quickly, dodging the volley of questions from journalists.
Yadav, whose party office is just across the street from the premises where the JD(U)'s event took place, remarked sarcastically: "It appears that photographs of Nitish Kumar at their office will soon be replaced with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even a child knows the fate that awaits the chief minister after elections are over."
The RJD leader said the Waqf Bill was opposed by the party MPs in both Houses of Parliament as it violates Article 26 of the Constitution which deals with freedom to manage religious affairs.
"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. But we will not allow implementation of this Bill in Bihar. If we form the next government in the state, the Bill will be consigned to the dustbin," claimed the young leader, who is expected to lead the Mahagathbandhan in the assembly polls.
He said, "We have also moved the Supreme Court against the Waqf Bill. We believe that today Muslims are being targeted and tomorrow it may be the turn of Sikhs and Christians."
The BJP and the RSS have been always against religious minorities and Mandal Hindus - tribals, Dalits and Other Backward Classes, Yadav alleged.
"While we were in power, the quotas for deprived castes were raised to 65 per cent. These social groups may have a sizeable population, but their condition can be gauged from their negligible presence in medical and engineering services. But the hike in quotas got quashed by Patna High Court, on petitions filed by supporters of the BJP," he said.
Since Kumar does not seem capable of defending the depressed classes, the RJD has become a party before the Supreme Court in challenging the high court order, added Yadav.
Meanwhile, Union minister Chirag Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), accused the opposition of trying to create a "fake narrative" around the Waqf Bill "just to maintain a grip over what they see as their vote bank".
"They did the same when CAA was brought, when Article 370 was abrogated and when Ram temple was built at Ayodhya. None of these moves affected our Muslim brethren adversely," Paswan said.
The Waqf Bill draft makes clear that amendments will not have retrospective effect and, no existing Waqf property can be touched, he said.
The amendments will come to the rescue of Muslim citizens who may be locked in disputes with the Waqf Boards concerned.
"But the opposition is busy with its own agenda," alleged the Hajipur MP, when he was approached with questions by journalists.
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Kunal Kamra asks BookMyShow to not delist him, share contact of audiences from his shows
New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI): Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Monday wrote an open letter to BookMyShow requesting the online ticketing platform to either not delist him or to hand over the contact information of audience members he has earned through his solo shows over the years.
The letter, which he shared on his X page, comes days after Shiv Sena claimed BookMyShow had taken Kamra off the sale and artists list from its platform amid ongoing controversy around his 'traitor' jibe against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"Dear BookMyShow, I understand that you need to maintain a cordial relationship with the state, and I know that Mumbai is a major hub for live entertainment. Without the state's cooperation, iconic shows like Coldplay and Guns N' Roses wouldn't be possible...
"I request one of the following: Do not delist me, or provide me with the data (contact information) I've generated through your platform from my audience," Kamra said in his two-page letter.
On April 5, the Mumbai-born comedian -- who is now a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu -- had asked BookMyShow whether the reports of him being delisted from the platform were true.
"Hello @bookmyshow can you please confirm if I have your platform to list my shows if not it’s fine. I understand… (sic)" he wrote on X.
On Monday, the comedian also addressed his audiences calling for a boycott of the platform over the news of Kamra being delisted as an artist.
He said he was "not a fan of boycotts or down rating a private business".
"BookMyShow is well within their right to do what's best for their business (sic). However, the issue at hand isn't about whether you can or will delist me-it's about your exclusive right on listing our shows. By not allowing artists to list their shows through their own websites, you've effectively prevented me from accessing the audience I've performed for from 2017 to 2025," he further stated in the letter.
According to Kamra, BookMyShow takes a 10 per cent cut of revenue for listing shows.
"However, this raises an important point: No matter how big or small a comedian is, we are all compelled to spend between 6,000 to 10,000 rupees a day on advertising to reach our own audience. This cost is an additional burden that we, as artists, must bear."
Kamra said one might argue that data protection is a concern, but the question of "who protects what data, and from whom, is a much broader conversation".
"What I'm requesting is simple: please ensure that you hand over the contact information of the audiences you've collected from my solo shows so that I can continue living my life with dignity and work towards a fair livelihood. As a solo artist, especially in the world of comedy, we are both the show and the production.
"For instance, if I performed at the Pune Comedy Festival with 30 other artists, that would be considered comedy's collective data. But my solo shows-that's my audience. The least I deserve, should you choose to delist me, is access to them," he wrote.
Kamra's letter comes the same day the comedian moved the Bombay High Court, seeking to quash an FIR lodged against him by the city police for his alleged remarks against Shinde, with the Madras High Court extending his interim anticipatory bail in relation to the case till April 17.
The comic also claimed he has been receiving death threats after the show and hence, requested the police to question him via video conference.
Some social media users have expressed support for Kamra and said they would delete the BookMyShow app if he is delisted as an artist on the platform.
A social media user wrote, "I have decided to #BoycottBookMyShow. What kind of an app tries to hold responsibility for the show content. To whoever tried to force you on Kunal Kamra, @bookmyshow just had to say 'we are not responsible for show content'. You couldn't do that much!"
Another said, "If BookMyShow removed Kunal Kamra from its app. Why don't we all uninstall the BookMyShow app from our phones? 1.They are exercising their freedom; we must exercise ours. 2.If they censor what we like, we should censor what we dislike. #boycottbookmyshow #istandwithkunalkamra."
Kamra is at the centre of a major political controversy in Maharashtra for his comments about Shinde, which he made during a stand up show titled 'Naya Bharat' last month, which led to Shiv Sainiks vandalising the venue, hotel and multiple FIRs against the comedian.
His new stand up show, however, has garnered over 1.3 crore views on his YouTube channel.
Dear @bookmyshow - I still don’t know if I have your platform or no.
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) April 7, 2025
Below is humble view -
To the audiences I’m not a fan of boycotts or down rating a private business…
Book my show is well within their right to do what’s best for their business | pic.twitter.com/TXaB22sfxI
