'Will commit suicide': What Manmohan Singh told former CEC Quraishi during 2012 elections

As per Quraishi, this backlash was triggered by Salman Khurshid's censure for breaking the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

Former Chief Election Commissioner, SY Quraishi, recalled a stark statement made by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2012 over "loose talk" by ministers on the functioning of the Election Commission of India.

In his book, titled "India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir', the former CEC recalled a visit to the PM residence after he expressed his anguish over certain remarks made by ministers during the 2012 state elections in Uttar Pradesh.

As per Quraishi, this backlash was triggered by Salman Khurshid's censure for breaking the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) while campaigning for the state elections.

In a speech, Khurshid promised that if his party came to power, the quota for Muslims in jobs would be raised from 4.5 per cent to 9 per cent.

"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 wrote in his book.

He added that after four days of hearing arguments from the BJP and Congress, "we censured Khurshid, the strongest action available under the Code."

Following this, the former CEC said Khurshid was visibly upset, and soon, voices in the Congress suggested the 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 says in the book.

He recalled expressing his grievance to Harish Khare, who was the then Press Secretary to the PM.

After hearing Quraishi, Khare asked if the matter should be raised to the Prime Minister, to which the former CEC said "yes."

"The next day, the RAX (Restricted Access Exchange) phone rang. 'Prime Minister wants to speak to you urgently'. Moments later, Dr Manmohan Singh came on the line, his voice anxious: 'Quraishi ji, can I see you urgently?' The tone suggested he might come to me. I said. 'Sir, you are the Prime Minister, I'll come whenever you say. We fixed 7 pm," the book narrates.

Quraishi recalled Dr Singh's voice and how anguished it sounded.

"'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 reminisced in his forthcoming book.

"That he could imagine, even for a moment, that I doubted his intentions was unbearable to him. It took a few minutes to calm him. 'I had absolutely no idea,' he said. 'If I had known, I would have blasted them. If ever you have something to say, just pick up the phone and call me'," Quraishi quoted the former PM as saying.

Quraishi then shared another remark from Dr Singh: "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 noted that following his meeting with the prime minister, the innuendos against the polling body stopped.

"I have met many powerful people in my life but few who wore power so lightly, or felt its weight so deeply. In a profession that rewards a thick skin, Dr Manmohan Singh stood out for a rare sensitivity in the exercise of power," Quraishi added further.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable.

A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).

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