Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has shared an emotional incident involving former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in his upcoming book, India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir.
According to the book, after hearing complaints about remarks made by some ministers against the Election Commission during the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Dr Singh told Quraishi, “If you feel that way, I will commit suicide.”
Dr Singh also told him that the Election Commission was not only India’s pride but the very soul of the country’s democracy, and that losing its credibility would mean losing everything.
In the book, Quraishi describes Dr Singh as a leader for whom respecting the Constitution was not just a principle but a deeply held belief.
Quraishi served as India’s 17th Chief Election Commissioner and introduced several electoral reforms, including the Voter Education Division, Expenditure Monitoring Division, and the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
What happened?
During the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, then Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid promised increased reservation for Muslims during campaigning. After a complaint from the BJP, the Election Commission ruled that the statement violated the Model Code of Conduct and reprimanded Khurshid.
Following the Commission’s action, some Congress leaders reportedly described the Election Commission as arbitrary and arrogant. Quraishi said the remarks deeply hurt him.
At an Eid Milan event, he expressed his disappointment to the then Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, Harish Khare, and asked that his concerns be conveyed to Dr Singh.
The next day, Quraishi received a call from the Prime Minister’s Office inviting him to meet Dr Singh that evening. According to the book, when he arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence, Dr Singh was waiting for him at the door.
Quraishi writes that Dr Singh said emotionally, “Harish told me what you said. If you think that, I will commit suicide.” Quraishi remained silent, explaining later that his disappointment was directed at the behaviour of certain ministers, not at the Prime Minister himself.
Recalling the meeting, Quraishi wrote that the thought that he could have doubted Dr Singh’s intentions was deeply painful to the former Prime Minister. He added that it took a few minutes to calm Dr Singh down.
Qureshi wrote: “It was not a secret, but a glimpse into the character of the country’s leader”
Recalling the incident, Qureshi wrote that he immediately informed Prime Minister Singh’s Principal Secretary, T.K.A. Nair, and National Security Adviser, Shivshankar Menon, about the alleged suicide remark. Harish also shared it with their mutual friends.
Qureshi added that none of them considered it a secret. Instead, he said it offered an important glimpse into the character of the man leading the country.
What else is in the book?
In the book, Quraishi shares 100 personal memories and anecdotes from his career in the civil service. He writes about key events, challenges and unexpected moments that shaped his professional life.
The book also covers topics such as the Election Commission’s handling of Punjab’s drug crisis in 2012, an MoU that reportedly surprised Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and claims about how TRP ratings were used to weaken Doordarshan and divert its advertising revenue.
Dr Manmohan Singh was India’s 13th Prime Minister
Dr Manmohan Singh served as India’s 13th Prime Minister for two consecutive terms, from 22 May 2004 to 26 May 2014. He was widely regarded as one of the world’s leading economists and policymakers.
He was India’s first Sikh Prime Minister. He was also the first Prime Minister to have served as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, and Finance Minister before taking office as Prime Minister.
Dr Singh was Finance Minister in the government of P. V. Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996. During this period, India introduced major economic reforms, including liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation.
He never won a Lok Sabha election. He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1991 to 2024, representing Assam for most of that time. In 1987, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.
Dr Manmohan Singh died in New Delhi on 26 December 2024 at the age of 92.
