Quraishi remarks on Nepal developments 'reckless', says BJP

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) The BJP on Tuesday termed former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi remarks on recent developments in Nepal "reckless" and said his comments were "hardly surprising" because the Indian poll panel had signed an agreement with an organisation linked to US-based billionaire George Soros's Open Society Foundation during his tenure.

In an interview with PTI on Sunday, Quraishi had said that recent developments in Nepal were a sign of a "vibrant democracy" and not anarchy while asserting that governments must be very careful in regulating social media as it has become an integral part of everyone's life.

He also said that India has to take the lead in the SAARC region for hand-holding democracies "which are still struggling" by providing support to them as an "elder brother" and not as a "big brother".

Reacting sharply, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya slammed the former chief election commissioner, calling his remarks "absolutely shocking".

"Former CEC S Y Quraishi calls the recent developments in Nepal a sign of 'vibrant democracy' - not anarchy. But given his record, this reckless comment is hardly surprising," Malviya said in a post on X.

"It was during Quraishi's tenure that the Election Commission of India signed an MoU with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) - an outfit linked to George Soros's Open Society Foundation, a known deep state operator and a close associate of the Congress party and the Gandhis," the BJP leader alleged.

Latching on to the former CEC's remarks in interview with some other media platform, Malviya said that he himself admitted that after the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, a "big leader" came to him complaining that he did not let his "bogus voters" vote in the election.

"At the time, Quraishi was one of the Election Commissioners, and the Samajwadi Party, notorious for its Muslim appeasement politics, was in power but lost the election. If Quraishi knew this, why has he shielded the leader all these years? Was the SP indulging in Vote Chori? Who was this leader," he asked.

"This raises a larger question: If Quraishi knew about shifted, absent and dead (SAD) voters on the rolls, why did he never order a Special Intensive Revision (SIR)? He was EC from 2006-2010 and later CEC from 2010-2012 - it was his constitutional duty to act!," Malviya charged.

There was no immediate reaction from Quraishi to the BJP leader's charge.

In a purported video clip of former CEC's interview with another media platform posted by Malviya on X, Qurashi is heard recalling how he and others in the poll panel managed addressed the "complaints and possibilities" about existence of bogus voters during assembly polls in the past.

He said that a suspected list of such voters was created, instead of deleting them. and given to the presiding officers with instructions that if any of them come to voter, their identified must be thoroughly verified.

Slamming Quraishi for his remarks, Malviya said neither he nor those who came after him - "whether Ashok Lavasa, O. P. Rawat or others" - lifted a finger to clean up our compromised voter lists for over 23 years, since the last special intensive revision in 2003.

"Let's not forget: back then, the Prime Minister alone appointed the CEC. Today, a three-member panel, including the Leader of Opposition, makes that decision. The old guard owes its posts entirely to the Congress system, and it shows," he charged.

"It is time to call out these insipid tenures. Those who failed their duty then cannot now lecture the nation. Contesting ideas is welcome, but accountability must begin with those who had the chance - and did nothing," the BJP leader added. PTI PK ZMN