SY Quraishi was not election commissioner but 'Muslim commissioner': Nishikant on Waqf Act criticism
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI): After causing an uproar with his remarks against the Chief Justice of India, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Sunday fired a salvo at S Y 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 is a former Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Dubey's religious 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 alleged 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."
The BJP MP chose to react on Sunday.
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."
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.
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.
— Dr. S.Y. Quraishi (@DrSYQuraishi) April 17, 2025
आप चुनाव आयुक्त नहीं,मुस्लिम आयुक्त थे,झारखंड के संथालपरगना में बांग्लादेशी घुसपैठिया को वोटर सबसे ज़्यादा आपके कार्यकाल में ही बनाया गया ।पैगंबर मुहम्मद साहब का इस्लाम भारत में 712 में आया,उसके पहले तो यह ज़मीन हिंदुओं की या उस आस्था से जुड़ी आदिवासी,जैन या बौद्ध धर्मावलंबी की… https://t.co/yf8uBjmoYN
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) April 20, 2025
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
