Patna, June 30 (IANS) The ‘Pasmanda Milan Samaroh’ was organised on Monday at the Atal Auditorium of the BJP state office, where a large turnout from the Pasmanda community was witnessed.

The conference was inaugurated by BJP State President Dilip Jaiswal and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who jointly lit the ceremonial lamp.

A significant number of Pasmanda community members took BJP membership during the event, with Dilip Jaiswal administering the membership pledge to new members.

Addressing the gathering, Jaiswal said that the introduction of the Waqf Act has created awareness among Pasmanda Muslims, who make up 90 per cent of the Muslim population in Bihar and fall under the OBC category.

“Whatever earnings come from Waqf properties, 90 per cent of it should belong to Pasmanda Muslims, but they were deprived of these rights in the past. After the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they are getting their due rights. Our Prime Minister has a clear vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, ensuring that our Pasmanda Muslim brothers and sisters receive their rightful share in Waqf properties. The Centre and the state government are working towards this,” Jaiswal said.

Gulam Ahmed Ansari, a resident of Mahua in Vaishali district, said the traditional “MY (Muslim-Yadav)” equation of the RJD no longer holds in Bihar, as it was seen during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The poor form a large section of the voters in Bihar, and Pasmanda Muslims are among the poorest. RJD leaders have betrayed us, so why should we vote for them? We were sitting at the margins of society, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thought about Pasmanda Muslims and is working to connect them to the mainstream. On the other hand, Lalu Prasad Yadav did not give tickets to Pasmanda Muslims,” Ansari said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Naseem Anwar from Bihta in Patna district said, “Since independence, many Prime Ministers have served the country, but none thought about the Pasmanda Muslims. It was Prime Minister Modi who spoke about their rights, saying Pasmanda Muslims should have representation in the Waqf Board. In Bihar, Muslims constitute 18 per cent of the population, and 14 per cent of them are Pasmanda Muslims, who now stand with PM Modi and the BJP.”

–IANS

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