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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11-year-old dies by suicide after sexual assault in Bareilly; accused arrested
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday.
The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said.
According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action.
"The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said.
A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim's younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor's school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said.
"Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.
