Election Commission has been very unfair to opposition: Former CEC SY Quraishi
S Y Quraishi accused the current Election Commission of being unfair to opposition parties and denying them a fair hearing. He said the institution's credibility has been damaged and needs urgent introspection.
Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has alleged that the current Election Commission has been "very unfair" to opposition parties and said the poll body's image and credibility have taken a "severe beating". He said he was "very sad" that the legacy of the Election Commission as one of the country's most credible institutions had been eroded.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos ahead of the launch of his new book, India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir, Quraishi said his own approach as CEC was to support opposition parties because they were the "underdogs" and out of power. He said that during his tenure, this policy particularly benefited the BJP, which was then the main opposition party.
Asked about allegations that the current Election Commission has been unfair to the opposition and a letter by 24 opposition parties to Chief Justice Surya Kant, Quraishi said, "Well, that again is a very painful chapter because as I've written, my declared policy was to be with the opposition because they are the underdogs, they are out of power, they need your support." He added, "The government has long hands; it can get many things done as it is. So, it is the opposition which needs handholding and support."
Quraishi said he had told his officers to make themselves easily available to opposition parties. "I had told all my officers to please open all your doors to the opposition. If they want an appointment tomorrow, give them today... If you get two requests for an appointment, one from the government and one from the opposition, prefer the opposition because we have to enjoy the trust of the entire country, particularly of the opposition," he said. He added that the opposition was very comfortable with the commission during his tenure. "And let me remind you that in my entire tenure, the main opposition party was the BJP. And if some of their leaders criticise me, they're being very short-sighted. My policy has actually benefited the opposition, particularly the BJP. So, that's very important to remember," he said.
On whether the EC had been "a little unfair" to the opposition, Quraishi said that was a "gross understatement" and that it had been "very unfair". "Which is why twice in the last five years they have gone to the Supreme Court. Twenty-four parties are going to the Supreme Court on appeal because the Election Commission is not giving them a hearing... That's not acceptable. How are they doing it, and how are they getting away with it? That surprises me. That is not what is expected of the Election Commission," he said. He asserted that the EC has to take everybody along. The current EC comprises Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Quraishi also said a large section of the media was questioning the opposition instead of the government. "We see a large section of the media, instead of questioning the government, is questioning the opposition. They're going back to Nehru's time. They're questioning the opposition; it should be the other way round. In a democracy, you question the government," he said, adding that the government is answerable to the people. Referring again to the opposition's complaints, he said they keep seeking appointments but do not get them, and added that 24 parties had approached the Supreme Court as recently as a week ago after making a complaint of the same nature a few years earlier.
On his view that the EC must be fair and also appear to be fair, Quraishi said, "Firstly, they have to be fair. The question is whether they are being fair. The appearing to be fair is the second thing." He said the fact that people were raising such questions was something the EC should introspect on. "And let's remember there are three members and all three will have different temperaments, and I'm sure there must be some internal debate going on about what is happening to the Election Commission, its working, and its image," he said.
Reflecting on his own tenure as the 17th CEC, Quraishi said he was most proud of four initiatives that had stood the test of time: the Voter Education Division, which he said helped raise voter turnout; the Expenditure Monitoring Division for money control; National Voters' Day; and the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management. He said all four had gone from strength to strength. But he said one part of the EC's legacy had suffered.
"I am very sorry to say, and may I hope I'm wrong, that it has gotten a severe beating," he said of the commission's image and credibility. "The way people are raising questions, I know, it hurts me because it feels as if somebody's slapping me because that is the institution which has enjoyed the highest credibility in the country... so that legacy I do feel has gotten eroded," he said.
Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has alleged that the current Election Commission has been "very unfair" to opposition parties and said the poll body's image and credibility have taken a "severe beating". He said he was "very sad" that the legacy of the Election Commission as one of the country's most credible institutions had been eroded.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos ahead of the launch of his new book, India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir, Quraishi said his own approach as CEC was to support opposition parties because they were the "underdogs" and out of power. He said that during his tenure, this policy particularly benefited the BJP, which was then the main opposition party.
Asked about allegations that the current Election Commission has been unfair to the opposition and a letter by 24 opposition parties to Chief Justice Surya Kant, Quraishi said, "Well, that again is a very painful chapter because as I've written, my declared policy was to be with the opposition because they are the underdogs, they are out of power, they need your support." He added, "The government has long hands; it can get many things done as it is. So, it is the opposition which needs handholding and support."
Quraishi said he had told his officers to make themselves easily available to opposition parties. "I had told all my officers to please open all your doors to the opposition. If they want an appointment tomorrow, give them today... If you get two requests for an appointment, one from the government and one from the opposition, prefer the opposition because we have to enjoy the trust of the entire country, particularly of the opposition," he said. He added that the opposition was very comfortable with the commission during his tenure. "And let me remind you that in my entire tenure, the main opposition party was the BJP. And if some of their leaders criticise me, they're being very short-sighted. My policy has actually benefited the opposition, particularly the BJP. So, that's very important to remember," he said.
On whether the EC had been "a little unfair" to the opposition, Quraishi said that was a "gross understatement" and that it had been "very unfair". "Which is why twice in the last five years they have gone to the Supreme Court. Twenty-four parties are going to the Supreme Court on appeal because the Election Commission is not giving them a hearing... That's not acceptable. How are they doing it, and how are they getting away with it? That surprises me. That is not what is expected of the Election Commission," he said. He asserted that the EC has to take everybody along. The current EC comprises Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Quraishi also said a large section of the media was questioning the opposition instead of the government. "We see a large section of the media, instead of questioning the government, is questioning the opposition. They're going back to Nehru's time. They're questioning the opposition; it should be the other way round. In a democracy, you question the government," he said, adding that the government is answerable to the people. Referring again to the opposition's complaints, he said they keep seeking appointments but do not get them, and added that 24 parties had approached the Supreme Court as recently as a week ago after making a complaint of the same nature a few years earlier.
On his view that the EC must be fair and also appear to be fair, Quraishi said, "Firstly, they have to be fair. The question is whether they are being fair. The appearing to be fair is the second thing." He said the fact that people were raising such questions was something the EC should introspect on. "And let's remember there are three members and all three will have different temperaments, and I'm sure there must be some internal debate going on about what is happening to the Election Commission, its working, and its image," he said.
Reflecting on his own tenure as the 17th CEC, Quraishi said he was most proud of four initiatives that had stood the test of time: the Voter Education Division, which he said helped raise voter turnout; the Expenditure Monitoring Division for money control; National Voters' Day; and the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management. He said all four had gone from strength to strength. But he said one part of the EC's legacy had suffered.
"I am very sorry to say, and may I hope I'm wrong, that it has gotten a severe beating," he said of the commission's image and credibility. "The way people are raising questions, I know, it hurts me because it feels as if somebody's slapping me because that is the institution which has enjoyed the highest credibility in the country... so that legacy I do feel has gotten eroded," he said.
