Ex-CEC: Judge a man by expertise, not religion | India News

NEW DELHI: Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi sharply rebuked BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday for his “Muslim commissioner” comment, emphasising that he believed in an India the place people had been judged by their contributions, not spiritual identities. Quraishi criticised those that used spiritual labels to advertise divisive politics.
On April 17, Quraishi had posted on X, “The Waqf Act is a blatantly sinister plan to grab Muslim lands. I’m confident the Supreme Court will call it out. Misinformation by the propaganda machine has done its job well.”
In response, Dubey posted, “You were not an election commissioner, you were a Muslim commissioner. The maximum number of Bangladeshi infiltrators were made voters in Santhal Pargana during your tenure.”
Quraishi hit again with a cryptic submit on micro-blogging web site X, quoting George Bernard Shaw, “I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it (sic).”
Quraishi additional mentioned, “I served as election commissioner to the best of my ability and had a fulfilling IAS career. I believe in an India where individuals are defined by their talents and contributions, not religious identities. For some, religious labels fuel hateful politics. India will always defend its constitutional institutions and principles.”
Several netas condemned Dubey’s remarks. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav urged Dubey to chorus from attacking a distinguished former constitutional authority. CPI common secretary D Raja accused the BJP of disrespecting the Constitution.
Shiv Sena (UBT) neta Sanjay Raut praised Quraishi as one among India’s most interesting election commissioners, alongside T N Seshan. JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad famous that BJP had distanced itself from Dubey’s feedback, indicating the occasion’s discomfort along with his statements.