BJP's Nishikant Dubey calls ex-poll panel chief SY Quraishi 'Muslim commissioner' over waqf comment

Bharatiya Janata Party MP on Sunday called former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi a “Muslim commissioner” in response to remarks about the recently-passed Waqf Amendment Act.

On Thursday, Quraishi said that the Waqf Amendment Act was “ a blatantly sinister/evil plan of the govt to grab Muslim lands”.

“I’m sure SC [Supreme Court] will call it out,” the former chief election commissioner said on social media. “Misinformation by the mischievous propaganda machine has done its job well.”

The remarks came amid the Supreme Court hearing the challenges to the Act.

In response to the remarks, Dubey on Sunday accused Quraishi of communal bias during his tenure as the former chief election commissioner.

“You were not an election commissioner, you were a Muslim commissioner,” the BJP MP said on social media. “The maximum number of Bangladeshi infiltrators were made voters in Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand during your tenure.”

He added: “Prophet Muhammad’s Islam came to India in 712. This land [waqf], before that, belonged to Hindus or tribals, Jains or Buddhists associated with that faith.”

A waqf is an to a religious, educational or charitable cause. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The bill was cleared by Parliament on April...