Who is SY Quraishi, to whom Manmohan Singh had said- I will commit suicide; Why and when did such a situation occur?

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) S.Y. Qureshi in his upcoming book ‘India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir’ Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh He has shared such an emotional incident related to this, which has again brought his sensitivity towards the democratic institutions of the country into discussion.

Qureshi told that this incident happened in 2012. Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections Is done during. At that time a dispute had arisen between the Election Commission and some ministers of the Central Government. The matter was related to the election campaign of senior Congress leader and then Union Minister Salman Khurshid.

How did the whole controversy start?

During the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Salman Khurshid had announced in an election rally that if his party came to power, reservation in government jobs for Muslims would be increased from 4.5 percent to 9 percent. BJP has made this statement a model code of conduct. (Model Code of Conduct – MCC) Filed a complaint with the Election Commission stating it was a violation. The Commission’s rule is that no new government scheme or big promise can be made after the election process begins.

What action did the Election Commission take?

S.Y. Qureshi wrote that after listening to the arguments of BJP and Congress for about four days, the Election Commission strongly reprimanded Salman Khurshid. (Censor) Planted. This was the most drastic action available to the Election Commission.

However, Salman Khurshid became very angry after this decision. After this, some Congress leaders started saying that the Election Commission was ‘arrogant’. Arrogant and ‘arbitrary’ (Arbitrary) Adopting an attitude.

‘There is no problem with criticism, damage to the reputation of institutions is not acceptable’

Qureshi writes that he has never been troubled by personal criticism, but when the credibility of an institution is questioned, it is a matter of serious concern. He wrote, “Criticism never bothers me, but things that undermine institutional credibility cannot be accepted.”

Due to this resentment, he shared his pain with the then Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Harish Khare. Harish Khare asked whether information about this matter should be given to the Prime Minister? Qureshi agreed to this.

Then came the Prime Minister’s call…

The very next day suddenly the RAX (Restricted Access Exchange) phone rang. A message was received from the other side, “The Prime Minister wants to talk to you immediately.” After a few moments, Dr. Manmohan Singh himself came on the line and said in a very worried voice, “Qureshi ji, can I meet you immediately?” Qureshi said that he reached the Prime Minister’s residence at 7 pm to meet him.

‘If you think so, I will commit suicide’

Qureshi wrote that as soon as the meeting started, Dr. Manmohan Singh appeared very emotional. He said, “Harish told me what you said. If you think so, I will commit suicide.” Qureshi says that he was completely shocked to hear this. He clarified that his displeasure was not with the Prime Minister but with the statements of some ministers.

‘If I had known, I would have reprimanded them’

According to Qureshi, Dr. Manmohan Singh further said, “I could not even imagine that you would feel that my intentions were being doubted. If I had known earlier that the minister was saying such things, I would have reprimanded him severely. If ever there is any complaint in future, call me directly.” Qureshi writes that it took a few minutes for the Prime Minister to calm down. After this he assured that such a situation will not happen again in future.

‘Election Commission is the soul of India’s democracy’

During the meeting, Dr. Manmohan Singh also said something very important on the role of the Election Commission. He said, “The Election Commission is not just the pride of India, but the soul of our democracy. If we lose it, we will lose everything.” According to Qureshi, after this meeting the rhetoric of Congress leaders against the Election Commission almost stopped.

What was written about Manmohan Singh in the book?

In his book S.Y. Qureshi also mentioned the simplicity and sensitivity of Dr. Manmohan Singh. He wrote, “I have met many powerful people in my life, but I have met very few people who handled power with such ease and felt its responsibility so deeply. In a profession where having a thick skin is considered normal, Dr. Manmohan Singh stood out because of his extraordinary sensitivity.”

Who is SY Qureshi?

• Dr. S.Y. Qureshi (Shahbuddin Yaqoob Qureshi) is a distinguished former administrative officer (IAS) of India. He was the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of the country. He held this post from 30 July 2010 to 10 June 2012. He was the first Muslim Chief Election Commissioner of India.
• Qureshi is a 1971 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre. He worked in civil services for about 35 years at the Central and State level.
• Before joining the Election Commission, he held important positions like Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of the Government of India, Director General of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and Director General (DG) of Doordarshan. He started India’s largest AIDS awareness campaign ‘Universities Talk AIDS’.
• As Chief Election Commissioner he made several scientific and strategic efforts to increase participation of the public, youth and women in the electoral process.
• He is known for vocally expressing his opinion on issues like electoral reforms, transparency, logical analysis of One Nation One Election and electoral bonds in the country.
• Dr. Qureshi has written many books on subjects like democracy, elections, social change and family planning. His famous books include An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election (2014) and The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India.

Disclaimer: If you are going through anxiety or emotional stress, contact the Government of India’s Jeevan Aastha helpline 18002333330. Suicide is a social problem.