LUCKNOW: After a flurry of resignations by Muslim leaders of the JD(U) in Bihar, another NDA ally – Jayant Chaudhury-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) – faces rebellion as party’s general secretary Shahzeb Rizvi quit the party accusing Chaudhury of betraying Muslims by supporting the Waqf Amendment Bill of the Modi government.Confirming his resignation, Rizvi said after enjoying overwhelming support from the Muslim community in elections, RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary’s decision to support the Waqf bill in Parliament was nothing short of betrayal.Meanwhile, in a dramatic turn of events, a day after Rizvi’s resignation, the RLD on Saturday, disowned him. “Who is Shahzeb Rizvi? We don’t know any such person by this name,” asserted RLD national secretary Trilok Tyagi. Rizvi, however, maintained that he joined the RLD in February 2023 in Meerut in the presence of Tyagi himself. Till 2020, Rizvi was with the SP. He also shared pictures of his joining, where he can be seen standing next to Tyagi. In few other photographs, Rizvi is also seen with Jayant Chaudhury and other senior RLD leaders, while the party leadership asserted that Rizvi had little role in the party. “He is giving wrong information about his association with the party,” a senior leader said.Meanwhile, Rizvi claimed that many more leaders would follow suit in the coming days. He asserted that over 2,000 RLD workers were ready to resign with him. Accusing Chaudhary of disregarding the sentiments of Muslim voters, Rizvi said: “If RLD has 10 MLAs in western UP today, then Muslims have contributed a lot to this.”
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