ISI, China skewing Waqf bill feedback? BJP MP Nishikant Dubey seeks MHA probe

Dubey, a committee member and fourth-term Lok Sabha MP, said the geographical origin of these submissions needs immediate attention, claiming that it is statistically improbable that such an overwhelming response could emerge organically from within India alone.

New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has written a letter to Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee formed to investigate the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill 2024, asking him to take note of the 1 crore 25 lakh emails submitted to the committee, alleging foreign involvement in sending the emails, the influence of Muslim preacher Zakir Naik, as well as the involvement of ISI and China. Dubey, who is a member of the committee, has demanded an investigation by the home ministry.

In his letter, Dubey said that the high volume of emails sets a “global record for legislative submissions”, and should be scrutinised by the committee.

Reports have emerged that the committee had to employ over a dozen officials just to sort through the high volume of responses. Dubey said that there should be an investigation on whether the emails emerged from India or from outside the country. He also said that reports from the media suggest that a large portion of these submissions are identical or contains minor variations, signaling that many of these communications may be part of an organised campaign.

He also alleged involvement by fundamentalists and said that the involvement of fundamentalist preacher Zakir Naik’s network in flooding the JPC with submissions must be investigated. He also alleged the involvement of foreign actors such as Pakistan’s ISI, China, and organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the Taliban is a serious concern.

“Article 105 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the free and fair functioning of Parliament, including the operations of its committees. If external forces—whether they be fundamentalist groups, individuals like Zakir Naik, or foreign agencies—are attempting to manipulate our legislative process, it is an attack on the very foundations of our parliamentary system,” Dubey wrote in his submission.

Dubey has now asked the home ministry to investigate the issue and make public the report of the investigation.

“This investigation is critical to preserving the fairness, integrity, and independence of the Waqf Bill deliberations. We cannot allow external forces to manipulate our democratic process, and we must take swift action to safeguard the sanctity of Parliament,” he said.

On the sidelines of an event to mark 100 days of the minority affairs ministry, Union Minority Affairs as well as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that he will not comment on Dubey’s assertions.

“I can't comment on the functioning of the joint parliamentary committee. It has been empowered, how mails have come in and in what circumstances that the JPC will look into. As the ministry, we will cooperate fully; we will not go into what is happening inside the JPC. We will look into issues after the report is submitted to us,” he said.