Manmohan Singh, as a PM, held democracy and the Election Commission above his own life.

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Manmohan Singh, as a PM, held democracy and the Election Commission above his own life.​

Dr Dalvinder Singh Grewal​

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's profound commitment to constitutional propriety is revealed in S Y Quraishi's new book, India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir, detailing Singh's emotional reaction to criticism of the Election Commission and his declaration that the EC is 'the soul of our democracy.'​

IMAGE: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Photograph: ANI Photo​

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Key Points​

• Former PM Manmohan Singh expressed profound anguish to CEC SY Quraishi in 2012, stating he would "commit suicide" over ministers' criticism of the Election Commission.
• Singh emphasized the Election Commission's role as "the soul of our democracy," asserting that losing its credibility would mean losing everything.
• The incident stemmed from the EC censuring then Law Minister Salman Khurshid for violating the Model Code of Conduct during the 2012 Uttar Pradesh elections.
• Quraishi's forthcoming book, 'India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir,' recounts this conversation, highlighting Singh's commitment to constitutional propriety.​
• The former CEC describes Singh as a leader who wore power lightly and felt its weight deeply, demonstrating rare sensitivity in governance.​

"I will commit suicide," then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi in 2012 after the poll watchdog chief conveyed his anguish over 'loose talk' by ministers on the Election Commission functioning.
Singh had also told Quraishi that the Election Commission is not just India's pride; it is the soul of the country's democracy, and 'if we lose that, we lose everything.'
The conversation is recalled in Quraishi's forthcoming book India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir.
In his book, Quraishi hails Singh as a leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a talking point but a lived conviction.​

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The Khurshid Controversy​

The former CEC recalls that during an election, in January 2012, in Uttar Pradesh, Salman Khurshid, then law minister, promised at a rally that if his party came to power, it would raise the quota for Muslims in jobs 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 reminisced in his book published by Hachette India that is set to hit the stands soon.
"We held hearings for four days. Abhishek Manu Singhvi led the Congress side, Arun Jaitley the BJP, two formidable minds sparring over where a campaign promise ended and an inducement began. Eventually, we censured Khurshid, the strongest action available under the Code," recalls Quraishi, who was the CEC from July 30, 2010 till June 10, 2012.​

He further states that 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.​

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Meeting with the Prime Minister​

Quraishi recalls that around that time, he hosted his annual Eid open house and among the guests was Harish Khare, the then Press Secretary of the PM.​

"In passing, I mentioned my grievance. Harish asked, 'Should I tell the Prime Minister?' I said, 'Yes. That is exactly why I'm telling you'.​

The next day, the RAX (Restricted Access Exchange) phone rang. The 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 reached the PM's residence that evening.​

"Dr. Singh was waiting at the door. He led me in and, before we had even settled, said in a voice that carried genuine anguish, "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.​

Singh's Commitment to Democracy​

Singh had consistently praised the Election Commission as 'India's pride' and our soft power, he says.​

"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 recalls Singh's words.​

"Then he (Singh) added something I've never forgotten: '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 says in the book.​

Quraishi said he was left shaken, not by politics, but by encountering a 'leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a talking point but a lived conviction.'​

"I immediately shared what had transpired with T.K.A. Nair, his principal secretary, and Shivshankar Menon, his national security adviser. Harish, too, spoke of it to common friends. None of us treated it as a secret; it was too important a glimpse into the character of the man leading our country," he said.​

Quraishi said the innuendo stopped after the meeting and a quiet word had been passed, and nothing more was needed.​

"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," says Quraishi in his book.​

In the fascinating collection of one hundred episodes from his life, Quraishi chronicles the events, dilemmas, and unexpected turns that marked his career in the civil services.​

Source: PTI

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Cambridge unveils portrait of Manmohan Singh; academics laud former PM's legacy​

Former Chief Economic Adviser Kaushik Basu says Singh stood out for his rare combination of intellect, modesty, and integrity.​

Tribune News Service​

Sep 12, 2026 IST
The University of Cambridge has unveiled a portrait of late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, prompting influential academics, including former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India Kaushik Basu, to laud the decision on social media.

“I am glad Cambridge unveiled Manmohan Singh’s portrait. He was one of the world’s most respected leaders,” said Basu​

Basu said he worked closely with Manmohan Singh and could “confidently say he stood out for the rare combination of intellect, modesty & integrity, and this gave India a special place on the world stage.”
It is rare for Cambridge to unveil portraits of its alumni, and the latest move is an acknowledgment of Singh’s intellectual heft.

Singh studied at the Faculty of Economics at the University. When Singh passed away in 2024, the university issued a statement saying it was deeply saddened by the passing of one of its most distinguished alumni.
“One of India’s longest-serving prime ministers, Manmohan Singh, and India’s first non-Hindu prime minister, Singh, was known for his Cambridge blue turbans, his probity, and his modest and self-deprecating simplicity. His academic career took him from Punjab to the University of Cambridge, UK, where he earned a First Class Honours degree in Economics in 1957,” the university statement had said.
The faculty's professor, Sriya Iyer had then said Manmohan Singh was a great economist, visionary scholar, and statesman of India.
“Beginning with the Adam Smith Prize, which he won as a student during his time studying economics in Cambridge in the 1950s, as an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, and in his many roles concerned with financial and economic governance, culminating as India’s Prime Minister, Dr Singh quietly and respectfully championed the right to information, work, education, land and tolerance,” Iyer said.
After graduating from Cambridge, Dr Singh completed a DPhil in Economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. His book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth," was an early critique of India’s inward-oriented trade policy.
Manmohan Singh was born in 1932 in a village in the Punjab province of the then undivided India.​