‘I will commit suicide…’ Chief Election Commissioner was stunned to hear these words of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Can you believe that the Prime Minister of India can be so emotional and dignified that he can even talk about giving up his life out of respect for the constitutional institutions? This is not a fictional story, but a reality. Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi in his upcoming book ‘India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir’ In this article, one such heart-wrenching incident has been mentioned, which happened between the former Prime Minister of the country, Dr. Manmohan Singh.

The controversy which increased the uneasiness

This incident happened in January 2012, when assembly elections were going on in Uttar Pradesh. The then Law Minister Salman Khurshid promised to increase reservation in jobs for Muslims in an election rally. On this, BJP complained to the Election Commission that new announcements cannot be made after the implementation of the code of conduct. The Election Commission strongly condemned Khurshid after a long hearing. Some Congress ministers became angry with this action and started accusing the Election Commission of being ‘arrogant’. This absurd rhetoric was hurting the credibility of the Commission, which was headed by former CEC S.Y. It was unbearable for Qureshi.

And then Manmohan Singh called

Qureshi expressed his displeasure to the then PM’s press secretary Harish Khare. The very next day, Qureshi’s ‘Rax’ phone rang and a voice came from the other end – the Prime Minister wants to talk to you. Within a short time, Dr. Manmohan Singh was on the line. There was a strange restlessness in his voice. He asked, “Qureshi ji, can I meet you immediately?” When Qureshi reached PM residence in the evening, Dr. Singh himself was waiting for him at the door.

‘If you think so, I will commit suicide’

As soon as Qureshi sat inside, Manmohan Singh said in a very distressed voice, “Harish told me everything. If you think that I or my government questions the intentions of the Election Commission, then I will commit suicide.” Qureshi was stunned to hear this. He was angry not at Manmohan Singh’s intentions but at the conduct of some ministers. Dr. Singh assured him that he was not even aware of this statement, otherwise he would have reprimanded those ministers. He told Qureshi, “If you ever have something to say, just pick up the phone and talk to me directly.”

‘Election Commission is the soul of democracy’

Even today, Qureshi has not forgotten what Manmohan Singh said during this meeting. He had said, “The Election Commission is not just the pride of India, it is the soul of our democracy. If we lose it, we will lose everything.” S.Y. Qureshi writes that this meeting shocked him. He felt that he was dealing with a leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a cosmetic thing but a part of his personality. After this incident, the rhetoric regarding the Election Commission stopped overnight.