Contrast to Modi viewing EC as tool to wield political hegemony: Ramesh on Manmohan's remarks to ex-CEC

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday cited then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks to CEC S Y Quraishi in 2012 that the Election Commission is the soul of the country's democracy, and said the comment is in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi viewing the poll body as an “instrument to exercise political hegemony”. “I will commit suicide,” Manmohan Singh had told then-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’s functioning. Singh also told Quraishi that the Election Commission (EC) 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 the book, Quraishi hails Singh as a leader for whom constitutional propriety was not a talking point but a lived conviction. Ramesh said Singh’s comments made to a former chief election commissioner (CEC) that he considered the Election Commission “the soul of our democracy” has invited media attention. “Dr Singh’s comment is in sharp contrast to how the incumbent PM views the EC – as an instrument to exercise political hegemony. Dr Manmohan Singh could never have imagined that the EC would be so completely captured by his successor and that there would be CECs who would be so brazenly and blatantly partisan that they even commit mass disenfranchisement in pursuit of the PM’s political goals,” Ramesh posted on X. “It was neither Dr Singh’s nature nor his ideology to politicise such national institutions. History has been and will continue to be kind to Dr Singh for his statesmanship and commitment to democracy and nation-building," the Congress general secretary in charge communications said. Quraishi's book throws light on incidents from his career, including the Election Commission uncovering Punjab's drug crisis in 2012, an MoU that made Donald Trump and Elon Musk raise eyebrows, and how TRPs were used to shrink Doordarshan and divert its advertisement money. Quraishi served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India from July 30, 2010, to June 10, 2012, during which he introduced major electoral reforms, including the Voter Education Division, the Expenditure Monitoring Division and the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). In the book, the former CEC recalls that during an election in Uttar Pradesh in January 2012, 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 reminisces 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," Quraishi recalls. He also says 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. He recalls that around that time, he hosted his annual Eid open house and among the guests was Harish Khare, the then-press secretary to the prime minister. “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. '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 reminisces. 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. 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