BJP MP Targets Former Election Chief SY Quraishi with 'You Were Muslim Commissioner' Remark

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has set off additional controversy with his comments against former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi.

Dubey, reacting to Quraishi's criticism of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, which he described as a "sinister and evil plan of the government to grab Muslim lands," attacked Quraishi as not only an election commissioner but a "Muslim commissioner."

Quraishi, India's CEC, had made his reservations on April 17 on X, charging that the Waqf Act was a scheme by the government to grab Muslim-held lands. In his report, Quraishi hoped the Supreme Court would oppose the Act, citing the disinformation campaign he feels has propelled it so far.

Dubey reacted aggressively to Quraishi's remark, stating, "You were not an election commissioner, you were a Muslim commissioner." He also alleged that under Quraishi's watch, a huge number of Bangladeshi infiltrators got enrolled as voters in Santhal Pargana in the state of Jharkhand, which suggests that Quraishi abetted a process that was prejudicial to India's national interest.

Accumulating religiousity to his statements, Dubey cited historical citations, saying, "Prophet Muhammad's Islam reached India in 712. This land (Waqf) prior to that was with Hindus or tribals, Jains or Buddhists belonging to that religion." He also talked of his birth village Vikramshila, which was razed by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1189, and underlined recalling history to join the nation, proclaiming, "There will be no partition now."

This follows a day after Dubey's incendiary comments regarding the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India, which prompted the BJP to distance itself from his statements. Despite the criticism, Dubey is still a powerful figure as a fourth-term Lok Sabha MP from Godda in Jharkhand.

Dubey's latest salvo against Quraishi has only widened the political divide, with critics accusing him of employing inflammatory language to fuel communal tensions.