Ex-CEC: Judge a man by talent, not religion
NEW DELHI: Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi sharply rebuked
MP
Nishikant Dubey
on Monday for his 'Muslim commissioner' remark, emphasising that he believed in an India where individuals were judged by their contributions, not religious identities.
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Quraishi criticised those who used religious labels to promote 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 back with a cryptic post on micro-blogging 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 further said, '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.
president Akhilesh Yadav urged Dubey to refrain from attacking a distinguished former constitutional authority.
general secretary D Raja accused the BJP of disrespecting the Constitution.
Shiv Sena (UBT) neta Sanjay Raut praised Quraishi as one of India's finest election commissioners, alongside T N Seshan.
JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad noted that BJP had distanced itself from Dubey's comments, indicating the party's discomfort with his statements.
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