Storm in BJP over MPs’ criticism of Supreme Court & CJI. Nadda says party completely rejects remarks

Party president says BJP has nothing to do with 'personal statements' made by its MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on judiciary and that it respects all courts.

BJP president JP Nadda has said the party completely rejects MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks on the Supreme Court | Credit: ANI/Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: The BJP has issued a firm statement rejecting and distancing itself from its MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma’s criticism of the Supreme Court, with party president J. P. Nadda referring to the comments as their personal views and emphasising that the BJP has always respected the judiciary.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party has nothing to do with the statements made by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the judiciary and the chief justice of the country. These are their personal statements, but the BJP neither agrees with such statements nor does it ever support such statements,” he wrote on X.

Stressing that the BJP believes all courts of the country including the apex court are “an integral part of our democracy”, Nadda further said he had instructed all leaders not to make such statements.

भाजपा सांसद निशिकांत दुबे और दिनेश शर्मा का न्यायपालिका एवं देश के चीफ जस्टिस पर दिए गए बयान से भारतीय जनता पार्टी का कोई लेना–देना नहीं है। यह इनका व्यक्तिगत बयान है, लेकिन भाजपा ऐसे बयानों से न तो कोई इत्तेफाक रखती है और न ही कभी भी ऐसे बयानों का समर्थन करती है। भाजपा इन बयान…

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) April 19, 2025

On Saturday, Dubey, a fourth-term BJP MP and one of the party’s most vocal members in Lok Sabha, wrote a cryptic post on X in Hindi saying Parliament should be closed down if only the Supreme Court has to make laws. 

क़ानून यदि सुप्रीम कोर्ट ही बनाएगा तो संसद भवन बंद कर देना चाहिये

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) April 19, 2025

While he did not give any context, his comment comes at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Act, and days after the apex court set a deadline for the President to decide on Bills sent by governors. 

Dubey also made pointed allegations against Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna in an interview to ANI, saying the CJI “is responsible for all the civil wars in the country”.

Sharma, a former deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was also critical of the Supreme Court, saying no one can direct Parliament or the President. 

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reacted to the row, saying at a public rally Saturday: “…You people (BJP) are tubelights…threatening court in such a way…BJP is doing a fraud and threatening a religious war…you people are in power and you have become so radicalised that you are threatening court of a religious war.”

Inputs from PTI.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)