A day after triggering controversy with his comments on the Supreme Court, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Sunday launched a sharp attack on former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi over the Waqf Amendment Act, accusing him of favouring Muslim voters during his tenure.
Dubey’s remarks came in response to Quraishi’s recent post on X (formerly Twitter), in which the ex-CEC alleged that the Centre's move to amend the Waqf Act was part of a larger plan to “grab Muslim lands.”
In his post, Quraishi wrote, “Wakf Act is undoubtedly a blatantly sinister/evil plan of the govt to grab Muslim lands. I’m sure SC will call it out. Misinformation by the mischievous propaganda machine has done its job well.”
The Waqf Act, which governs Muslim endowments, is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court following challenges to its amended provisions.
Reacting strongly, Dubey accused Quraishi of enabling the legitimisation of Bangladeshi infiltrators by issuing them voter ID cards in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana region, where Dubey’s Godda Lok Sabha constituency is located.
“You were not an Election Commissioner, you were a Muslim Commissioner. It was during your tenure that the highest number of Bangladeshi infiltrators were made voters in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana. Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad came to India in 712 AD — before that, this land belonged to Hindus or was associated with tribal, Jain, or Buddhist faiths. My village Vikramshila was burned down by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1189. Vikramshila University gave the world its first Vice-Chancellor in the form of Atisha Dipankar. Unite this country, read its history — it was division that created Pakistan. There will be no more division,” Dubey said on X.
Quraishi served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India from July 30, 2010, to June 10, 2012, during the UPA II regime.
This exchange comes a day after Dubey drew criticism for stating that Parliament should be shut down if the Supreme Court continues to frame laws.
“Kanoon yadi Supreme Court hi banayega to Sansad Bhavan bandh kar dena chahiye,” he said on X.
The BJP has distanced itself from Dubey’s remarks, with party president JP Nadda calling them personal opinions.
“The statements made by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma regarding the judiciary and the Chief Justice of India have no connection with the Bharatiya Janata Party. These are their personal remarks, and the BJP neither agrees with nor supports such statements. The party outrightly rejects them,” Nadda posted on X.
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