Why did Manmohan Singh say “I am committing suicide” to ex-CEC in 2012? SY Quraishi recalls: “He could imagine…” | Today’s news

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi recalled a conversation with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012 during which Singh reportedly said, “I am committing suicide,” after Quraishi expressed concern over what he described as “loose talk” by Union ministers about the functioning of the Election Commission.

Quraishi, 79, is a retired IAS officer who served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India between 2010 and 2012. Congress leader Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014.

According to former CEC SY Quraishi’s forthcoming book published by Hachette India, “India and Me: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir”, Singh also told him that the Election Commission was not only the pride of India but the very foundation of its democracy, saying “If we lose it, we lose everything”.

In the book, Quraishi describes Singh as a leader who upheld constitutional values ​​not only through words but also through actions.

Salman Khurshid’s remarks fall apart

Narrating the episode, the former CEC states that during the Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign in January 2012, the then Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid announced at a public rally that if his party formed the government, it would increase the quota for Muslims in government posts from 4.5% to 9%.

“The BJP immediately complained about the violation of the Model Code, which stipulated that no new scheme could be announced after the election process began and the MCC, the Model Code of Conduct, was launched,” recalls Quraishi in his book, which will hit the stands soon.

Quraishi mentions that the Election Commission conducted hearings for four days, during which Congress was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while the late Arun Jaitley appeared for the BJP. The hearings focused on whether Khurshid’s remarks constituted a campaign promise or an election inducement. After the proceedings, the Commission censured Khurshid in what Quraishi describes as the strongest action available under the Model Code of Conduct.

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The former CEC further writes that Khurshid seemed deeply upset by the decision and that some leaders in the Congress subsequently alleged that the Election Commission had become “arrogant or arbitrary”.

“Criticism never bothers me; insinuations that undermine the credibility of institutions do. Such free speech was not acceptable,” Quraishi writes in the book.

Quraishi writes that around the same time he was holding his annual Eid gathering, attended by Harish Khare, who was then serving as the prime minister’s press secretary. During their conversation, Quraishi shared his concerns about the development.

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According to the book, Khare asked, “Should I tell the prime minister?” to which Quraishi replied, “Yes. That is exactly why I am telling you.”

Quraishi goes on to say that the following day he was called on the RAX (Restricted Access Exchange) line and informed: “The Prime Minister wants to speak to you urgently”. He writes that Manmohan Singh then came on the line and said, “Quraishi ji, can I see you urgently?” Quraishi recalls him replying, “Sir, you are the prime minister, I will come whenever you say,” after which the two agreed to meet at the prime minister’s residence that evening at 7 p.m.

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“Dr. Singh was waiting at the door. He led me in, and before we were even seated, he said in a voice that carried genuine anguish, ‘Harish told me what you said. If you think that, I’m going to kill myself.’ I was speechless. My remark was about the behavior of some ministers, not him,” says Quraishi.

EC is ‘Pride of India’: Manmohan Singh

Quraishi writes that Manmohan Singh has consistently described the Election Commission as the “pride of India” and one of the country’s sources of soft power.

Recalling their conversation, Quraishi says Singh seemed deeply upset at the thought that the former CEC might have questioned his intentions. According to Quraish, it took several minutes to calm the then prime minister, who told him: “I had absolutely no idea. If I had known, I would have killed them. If you ever have something to say, just pick up the phone and call me.”

“Then (Singh) added something that I have never forgotten: “The Election Commission is not only the pride of India; it is the soul of our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything,” notes the former CEC.

Quraishi writes that the meeting left a deep impression on him, not because of the political context, but because he met “a leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a matter of words but a living conviction”.

He says he later briefed TKA Nair, who was then principal secretary to the prime minister, and Shivshankar Menon, the national security adviser, about what had happened. Harish Khare also shared an episode with mutual acquaintances. “None of us considered it a secret; it was too important to look into the character of the man who led our country,” Quraishi writes.

According to Quraishi, the innuendo against the Election Commission ended after the meeting as a silent message was conveyed and there was no need for further intervention.

In his book, Quraishi writes that despite meeting many influential people during his career, few carried authority with the same humility or felt its responsibility as deeply as Manmohan Singh. He describes the former prime minister as someone who distinguished himself by showing extraordinary sensitivity in the exercise of power, even in a profession that often requires a thick skin.