Why did Manmohan Singh tell ex-CEC ‘I will commit suicide’ in 2012? SY Quraishi recalls ‘He could imagine…’

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has reminisced a conversation with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012, during which Singh reportedly said, "I will commit 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 served as India's prime minister from 2004 to 2014.

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

In the book, Quraishi describes Singh as a leader who upheld constitutional values not merely in words but through his actions.

Salman Khurshid's remarks row

Recounting the episode, the former CEC states that during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign in January 2012, 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 jobs from 4.5% to 9%.

"The BJP promptly complained of a Model Code violation, which stipulated that no new scheme could be announced after the election process is set in motion and MCC, Model Code of Conduct, kicked in," Quraishi recalls in his book that will hit the stands soon.

Quraishi mentions that the Election Commission conducted hearings over four days, during which senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented the Congress while the late Arun Jaitley appeared for the BJP. The hearings centred on the question of whether Khurshid's remarks amounted to a campaign promise or an electoral inducement. After the proceedings, the Commission censured Khurshid, which Quraishi describes as the strongest action available under the Model Code of Conduct.

The former CEC further writes that Khurshid appeared deeply upset by the decision, and that some leaders within the Congress subsequently alleged that the Election Commission had become "arrogant or arbitrary".

"Criticism never bothers me; innuendo that chips away at institutional credibility does. This loose talk was not acceptable," Quraishi writes in the book.

Quraishi writes that around the same time, he hosted his annual Eid gathering, which was attended by Harish Khare, who was then serving as the Prime Minister's press secretary. During their conversation, Quraishi shared his concerns over the developments.

According to the book, Khare asked, "Should I tell the Prime Minister?" to which Quraishi replied, "Yes. That is exactly why I'm telling you".

Quraishi further recounts that the following day he received a call on the RAX (Restricted Access Exchange) line informing him, "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 responding, "Sir, you are the Prime Minister, I'll come whenever you say," after which the two agreed to meet at the Prime Minister's residence at 7 pm that evening.

"Dr. Singh was waiting at the door. He led me in and, before we had even settled, said in a voice that carried genuine anguish: 'Harish told me what you said. If that is what you think, I will commit suicide.' I was speechless. My remark was about some ministers' conduct, not about him," Quraishi shares.

EC is 'India's pride': Manmohan Singh

Quraishi writes that Manmohan Singh had consistently described the Election Commission as "India's pride" and one of the country's sources of soft power.

Recalling their conversation, Quraishi says Singh appeared deeply distressed at the thought that the former CEC might have questioned his intentions. According to Quraishi, it took a few minutes to reassure the then prime minister, who told him, "I had absolutely no idea. If I had known, I would have blasted them. If ever you have something to say, just pick up the phone and call me."

"Then he (Singh) added something I've never forgotten: 'The Election Commission is not just India's pride; it is the soul of our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything," the former CEC notes.

Quraishi writes that the meeting left a deep impression on him, not because of the political context, but because he had encountered a "leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a talking point but a lived conviction".

He says he later informed TKA Nair, who was then the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary, and Shivshankar Menon, the National Security Adviser, about what had transpired. Harish Khare also shared the episode with mutual acquaintances. "None of us treated it as a secret; it was too important a glimpse into the character of the man leading our country," Quraishi writes.

According to Quraishi, the insinuations against the Election Commission ended after the meeting, as a quiet message had been conveyed and no further intervention was required.

In his book, Quraishi writes that despite meeting many influential people over the course of his career, few carried authority with the same humility or sensed its responsibility as deeply as Manmohan Singh. He describes the former prime minister as someone who stood apart for displaying exceptional sensitivity in the exercise of power, even in a profession that often demands a thick skin.

(With inputs from PTI)