‘UNPRECEDENTED’ feedback on Waqf Bill Panel member suspects role ofChina, ISI; demands MHA probe

 

 

RAISING concern over the staggering number of feedback -- nearly 1.25 crore submissions -- received by parliamentary committee scrutinising Waqf (Amendment) Bill, BJP member Nishikant Dubey has called for a Home Ministry probe, including into possible role of Pakistan’s ISI and China. In a letter to the committee’s Chairperson Jagdambika Pal, he said, the investigation must also cover the possible roles of fundamentalist organisations, individuals like radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, and foreign powers such as the ISI and China besides their proxies. Dubey, a committee member and a fourth-term Lok Sabha MP, said, the geographical origins of these submissions need immediate attention, claiming that it is statistically improbable that such an overwhelming volume response could emerge organically from within India alone.

 

He described the volume of feedback as “unprecedented” which, he said, has set a global record for legislative submissions and deserves scrutiny over the motivations and sources behind these communications. He said it signals a disturbing trend that cannot be ignored. “I believe it is vital that the committee addresses these concerns head-on to ensure the integrity and independence of our legislative process,” he added. The committee examining the contentious bill, which has been opposed stridently by Opposition parties and several Muslim groups for its alleged attempt to interfere in their religious affairs, had come out with an advertisement, seeking people’s feedback on its provisions. As his letter sparked a debate, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, the consultation process undertaken by the committee is the most extensive in the history of the country’s parliamentary democracy. He, however, declined to comment on Dubey’s suspicions. “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 is for the JPC to look into,” he said. Dubey told Pal that it is essential to ask whether foreign entities, organisations, and individuals may be deliberately orchestrating this “flood of responses to manipulate the democratic process”. Urging him to ask the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation, he said the probe finding should be circulated to all members of the committee to ensure complete transparency. India has a robust parliamentary system, and any attempt to influence it through coordinated foreign intervention represent a direct threat to national sovereignty, he asserted. Citing media reports, he said the content of a large portion of these submissions is identical or contains minor variations, signalling that many of these communications may be part of an organised campaign.