For some, religious identities are staple to forward hateful politics: Quraishi slams Dubey

Hitting out at BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his “Muslim commissioner” barb, former Chief Election Commissioner SY 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”.

A day after Dubey’s remarks, Quraishi received support from several politicians, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who said it is time to stand up for human worth over community labels.

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 Indian Administrative Service (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 said.

Earlier in the morning, without any reference, Quraishi posted, “I learned long ago, ‘never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it’ — George Bernard Shaw. A very wise quote of the great author!”