'For some, religious identities are staple to forward hateful politics': Ex-CEC Quraishi slams Dubey

New Delhi: Hitting out at BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his "Muslim commissioner" barb, former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi on Monday said he believes in an idea of India where an individual is defined by his contributions, and asserted that "for some, religious identities are a staple to forward their hateful politics".

Quraishi asserted that India has, is and will always stand up and fight for its constitutional institutions and principles.

"I served on the constitutional post of Election Commissioner to the best of my ability and had a long and fulfilling career in the IAS. I believe in an idea of India where an individual is defined by his or her talents and contributions and not by their religious identities," Quraishi told PTI.

"But I guess, for some, religious identities are a staple to forward their hateful politics. India has, is and will always stand up and fight for its constitutional institutions and principles," he said.

Meanwhile, IAS K Mahesh, who is the honourary president of Delhi Administration Officers Academic Forum, backed Quraishi and said he was a phenomenon as both the election commissioner and the chief election commissioner.

"He held these great assignments with aplomb and distinction and greatly enriched the institution of the Election Commission by introducing a series of reforms. For example, he established a voters' education division, expenditure control division and he also founded the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management," Mahesh said.

Quraishi has held other assignments as a member of the Haryana cadre with great distinction and India is proud to have an IAS officer like him, he said.

"This has been acknowledged by Dr Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who has the best pedigree in India being the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C Rajagopalachari (first Indian governor general) from his father's and mother's side respectively.

"Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi said of Dr. Quraishi that he was 'one of the most remarkable CECs that we have ever had or are likely to have'," Mahesh recalled.

After causing an uproar with his remarks against the Chief Justice of India, BJP MP Dubey on Sunday had fired a salvo at Quraishi, saying he was not an election commissioner but a "Muslim commissioner", after the latter criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Act as a "sinister and evil plan of the government to grab Muslim lands".

Quraishi was the Chief Election Commissioner of India from July 2010 to June 2012.

Dubey's religion barb at the former CEC came a day after his vitriolic attack on the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, blaming him for "religious wars" in India, forced the BJP to reject his criticism and distance itself from the controversial remarks.

Quraishi had said on X on April 17, "Wakf Act is undoubtedly a blatantly sinister evil plan of the govt to grab Muslim lands. I'm sure SC will call it out. Misinformation by the mischievous propaganda machine has done its job well."

Reacting to it, Dubey said, "You were not an election commissioner, you were a Muslim commissioner. The maximum number of Bangladeshi infiltrators were made voters in Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand during your tenure." "Prophet Muhammad's Islam came to India in 712. This land (Waqf) before that belonged to Hindus or tribals, Jains or Buddhists associated with that faith," he said.

Dubey said his village Vikramshila was burnt down by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1189 and that the Vikramshila University gave the world its "first vice chancellor" in Atish Dipankar.

He added, "Unite this country, read history. Pakistan was created by dividing it. There will be no partition now." Dubey is a fourth-term Lok Sabha MP from Godda in Jharkhand.