'Associated with RJD, Congress': JD(U)'s Lalan Singh slams Muslim groups for rejecting Nitish Kumar's iftaar party invitation

NEW DELHI: Union minister and Janata Dal (United) MP Lalan Singh on Monday said Muslim groups who declined Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's invitation for an iftaar gathering are associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.
"Those who opposed it (invitation) are associated with the RJD and Congress. They are doing their politics. Iftaar party is a worship and there cannot be politics in it. They just wanted to do politics; they have nothing to do with the welfare of Muslims," Singh told news agency ANI.

Singh's remark came after Muslim bodies in Bihar, including Imarat Shariah, announced to "boycott" Kumar's invitation due to his "support" for the central government's Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The JD(U) is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the country's governing coalition. The alliance governs Bihar as well.

In its statement rejecting Kumar's invitation, marat Shariah, which has a strong following in Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, accused the Bihar chief minister of "breaking" his promise to protect minority rights.
The JD(U) has traditionally counted on Muslim votes by presenting Kumar as a secular leader. The state assembly election is scheduled for later this year and will be a straight contest between the ruling NDA and the RJD-led opposition Mahagathbandhan, whose constituents include the Congress, among others.
The JD(U)'s support is crucial for the BJP as the latter lost its parliamentary majority in last year's Lok Sabha polls.