When the Joint Committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted its report and the amended version of the proposed law with a majority vote, it became clear that coalition politics in the country had turned a new leaf. Far from being confrontational, alliances are now based on an unprecedented degree of co-option. While the opposition ire on the bill is understandable, what has surprised many is the complete acquiescence of two of the BJP’s principal allies, the 18-strong TDP from Andhra Pradesh and 12-member Lok Sabha squad of JD (U) from Bihar, once leading practitioners of coalition politics, with strong Muslim constituencies to attend to.
Also Read: Waqf Amendment Bill cleared by JPC, 14 proposals moved by NDA members approved Says Shivanand Tiwary, once a JD(U) MP but now with the RJD. "The two allies have surrendered. That is clear.
Why they have done so, I am not able to say. I suppose for Nitish (Kumar), how many times can he switch sides. He can’t go back to the RJD again.
’’ Vinod Tawde, BJP’s national general secretary and Bihar’s party in-charge and a key go-between the two sides, expressed confidence in the stability and continuity of the JD (U)-led NDA government in Bihar, amid rumours suggesting that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar might once again join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The case of Andhra Pradesh, BJP’s strongest ally, is equally interesting. Like on other issues, TDP strongman and Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu, ha.
