A political stir has erupted over the controversial comments made by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the role of the judiciary. On Sunday, the Congress termed the comments as "intentional to devalue the judiciary" and dismissed the BJP leadership's "attempt to create distance" as a mere "damage control tactic".
MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, saying, "The Chief Justice is responsible for the country's civil war, if the judiciary makes laws, then Parliament should be closed." The next day, he attacked former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi, calling him a "Muslim Commissioner" and calling the Waqf Act "an evil plan of the government".
After such comments, the BJP officially distanced itself from them. Party president JP Nadda made it clear that the BJP MPs did not agree with such views and have instructed them to refrain from such statements in future.
However, the Congress is reluctant to accept this explanation. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Dubey and Sharma have repeatedly made hateful and derogatory comments. They are repeat offenders, whom BJP leaders have repeatedly used to attack institutions, individuals and communities."
Ramesh added, "The BJP president's 'distance' from such comments about an institution like the judiciary is nothing but political hypocrisy."
Key NDA partners in Bihar and Jharkhand have remained silent on the controversy. Since Nishikant Dubey is the MP from Godda constituency in Jharkhand, the JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas)—key allies of the NDA in neighbouring Bihar—have not reacted so far. Tejashwi Yadav strongly criticised the remark, saying it undermines the dignity of the judiciary and falls under criminal contempt.
On the other hand, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said, “What Nishikant Dubey said is not just his personal opinion, but a reflection of the BJP’s larger political vision.”
Jairam Ramesh indirectly pointed to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s past remarks and said, “The trend of turning the judiciary into a ‘super parliament’ is being supported by the BJP’s top leadership. Yet, the BJP president has not made a single comment on this issue.”
