Are ISI, China out to derail Waqf Bill amendment?

The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) scrutinising and holding consultations over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has received overwhelming feedback, triggering a controversy. Panel member and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey questioned the origins of the “unprecedented” 1.25 crore suggestions sent to the JPC, and sought a probe into the possible role of a “foreign hand”. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Congress both lashed out at Dubey, and called the massive response normal in a country as populous as India.
In fact, the AIMPLB told India Today Digital that the number of 1.25 crore was a gross understatement, and that 3.7 crore suggestions were sent to the JPC on its appeal.
On August 8, the government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha, saying that the law was aimed to streamline the Waqf Board’s work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties.
It was immediately sent to a joint parliamentary committee after Opposition parties and Muslim organisations expressed concerns, claiming that the bill was a targeted measure against the community and an infringement on its constitutional rights.
The JPC had in August invited views and suggestions from the public, NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions on the law that the NDA government had proposed to change the Waqf law. It gave a 15-day window for people to send in their feedback.
The JPC might not have expected such a massive response to its invitation for suggestions.
The contentious issue saw mobilisation from both sides and crores of emails landing up with the parliamentary panel.
Nishikant Dubey, in a letter to Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, has now sought an investigation by the Union home ministry into the origin of the feedback to the parliamentary panel, reported news agency PTI.
Dubey, a four-time MP, said the number of submissions was “unprecedented” and had set a global record for legislative submissions. He alleged the possibility of the involvement of China or Pakistan’s spy agency ISI or other fundamentalist organisations. He also named wanted Islamist preacher Zakir Naik among the suspects.
Dubey wrote it was essential to ask whether foreign entities, organisations, and individuals may be deliberately orchestrating this “flood of responses to manipulate the democratic process”.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said the volume of response was on expected lines and junked Dubey’s conspiracy claims, citing an earlier instance when 4.85 crore suggestions were sent to the government after its appeal.
“The number of feedback of 1.25 crore sent to the JPC being shared is less. Around 3.7 crore feedback was sent by Muslims to JPC on the appeal of AIMPLB,” SQR Ilyas, AIMPLB spokesperson, told India Today Digital.
Ilyas said that around 3.7 crore feedback had been sent to the JPC on behalf of the AIMPLB itself.
“I believe, with several other Muslim organisations having joined in, around 5 crore suggestions against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill must have reached the JPC,” Ilyas tells India Today Digital.
“The government sought feedback from the people, and it should be happy with the response,” says Ilyas, asking, “What is the problem if 5 crore suggestions have come from a country with 141 crore people?”
The Congress too trashed Dubey’s claims, saying it was just 1.5% of the population that had submitted its feedback.
“If, in such a big country, only 1.5% of the people express their opinion and they [the BJP] are pained by it, then it is clear that they don’t believe in democracy,” said Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil.
The AIMPLB spokesperson rejected Nishikant Dubey’s “foreign hand” theory as “absurd talk”, and said even earlier feedback sent in crores.
“When public opinion was sought on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), nearly 4.85 crore suggestions were sent to the law commission on the appeal of the AIMPLB,” SQR Ilyas tells India Today Digital.
Though the number in terms of the overall population of India might seem to be just 1.5%, it is significant when it is juxtaposed with the population of Muslims in the country.
The last Census, conducted way back in 2011, put the number of Muslims in India at 17.2 crore. Projections put the number of the community at 20.4 crore now.
So, a community with a 20 crore population has sent 5 crore suggestions. Conservatively, that is, one in every five Muslims in India sent their feedback to the JPC on the Waqf amendment.
The feedback from crores of Muslims is that the amendment to the Waqf law isn’t acceptable, says AIMPLB’s Ilyas.
The fear of government interference in the management of Waqf properties must have elicited a strong response from Muslims.
It is known that both sides, those for the amended bill and those against, tried to mobilise support in their favour. There were massive campaigns online and on the ground. QR codes played a key role.
Nishikant Dubey said the content of a large portion of these submissions was identical or contained minor variations, signalling an organised campaign.
AIMPLB’s Ilyas tells India Today Digital that people sent the suggestions by scanning QR codes, with one email going to the JPC and the other to the AIMPLB.
“The AIMPLB has a record of all the 3.7 crore emails sent on its behalf as a copy of every email is with it,” he adds.
Though Nishikant Dubey might be seeking a probe, the massive response could be the result of a campaign by Muslim outfits. However, he is well within his rights to seek a probe if some foreign entity tried to sabotage a legislative process in India.