New Delhi: Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi has shared a memoir which has created a stir in the political circles. This incident happened in 2012 when assembly elections were going on in Uttar Pradesh. At that time, Qureshi had expressed his displeasure over the absurd statements of some central government ministers to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Saddened by the indecent rhetoric of his leaders, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh became very emotional and even said, “I will commit suicide.”
What was the matter?
In fact, during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2012, the then Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid had announced in an election rally that if Congress comes to power, the quota of minorities will be increased. Qureshi wrote in his book, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), terming it a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, immediately complained to the Election Commission that no new scheme can be announced after the election process begins and the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.”
Qureshi wrote, “We heard for four days. Abhishek Manu Singhvi from Congress and Arun Jaitley from BJP presented their side. Two sharp legal scholars were trying to sharpen their arguments on the complex question of where the line should be drawn between election promises and luring voters. Ultimately the Election Commission condemned Khurshid.
Indecent comments were made out of anger
Angered by the action, some Congress ministers and leaders approached the Election Commission and personally S.Y. Started making indecent comments against Qureshi. Qureshi said, “I don’t care about personal criticism, but defaming an institution like the Election Commission was not acceptable. During this time, I met Harish Khare, media advisor to the then Prime Minister. I clearly told him that this behavior is intolerable. If I come in front of the media and tell the truth, your government will have no place to hide.” Qureshi told Harish Khare that this message should reach the Prime Minister so that he can take strict action against his ministers.
Manmohan Singh called to meet
The former CEC further said, “The very next day I got a call from Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He said – ‘Qureshi ji, I want to meet you immediately.’ When I reached to meet him, Manmohan Singh was waiting at the door. He took me inside and we were not even seated properly when Singh said in a very distressed voice, ‘Harish told me what you said. If you think like this then I will commit suicide.
Qureshi was shocked to hear Manmohan Singh’s words
The former Chief Election Commissioner was shocked to hear this. His complaint was about the conduct of some ministers, not about Manmohan Singh. According to Qureshi, Manmohan Singh always described the Election Commission as the “pride of India” and the country’s “soft power”. It was unbearable for him to even imagine that Qureshi might doubt his intentions.
Manmohan Singh told him, “I had no idea at all.” If I had known, I would have reprimanded him severely. If you ever have something to say, just pick up the phone and talk to me.” After this, Singh said something which Qureshi has not forgotten till date. Singh had said, “The Election Commission is not just the pride of India, it is the soul of our democracy. If we lose this, we will lose everything.” The former Chief Election Commissioner writes that this meeting shook him to the core.
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SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
