On Manmohan Singh's passing, his poetic banter with Sushma Swaraj in Parliament back in limelight

A politician loved by all, Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 92.

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Manmohan Singh was stubbornly resolute and that was how he drew the roadmap of India's economic reforms, unshackling the economy from the licence raj and pulling it back from the brink when even the country's gold reserves were being pledged.

Besides, his other interest was 'shayari' and he often, with his soft-spoken verses, launched attacks on political rivals inside and outside Parliament.

In 2011, the former Prime Minister used a couplet of Allama Iqbal to counter Sushma Swaraj's poetic attack in Parliament.

माना कि तेरी दीद के काबिल नहीं हूं मैं,

तू मेरा शौक तो देख मेरा इंतजार तो देख,

ज़बरदस्त राजनीतिक टकराव में भी मिठास की एक बानगी…

डॉ मनमोहन सिंह, Fomer PM #SushmaSwaraj #ManmohanSingh #RIP pic.twitter.com/px4qITKj3e

— Samrat Verma (@samrat_verma72) December 27, 2024

It was that time when humour, and not hostility, dominated the mood in Parliament as the banters drew loud cheers from both the treasury and the Opposition benches.

From 2009-14, BJP stalwart the late Sushma Swaraj was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the 'jugalbandi' of 'shayari' between Manmohan Singh and her would bring a smile to everyone's face.

In March 2011, Parliament erupted over a Wikileaks cable that accused the then ruling Congress of bribing MPs during the 2008 trust vote. Leading the Opposition charge, Swaraj targeted the Prime Minister with Shahab Jafari's famous lines, "Tu idhar udhar ki na baat kar, yeh bata ki kafila kyun luta, humein rahjano se gila nahi, teri rahbari ka sawal hai. (Don't divert attention from the topic... tell us how the loot took place. We have nothing to say about the robbers, but this is a question on your leadership."

The Prime Minister replied with Allama Iqbal's couplet that drew a smile from Sushma Swaraj and cheers from the House. "Mana ke teri did ke kaabil nahin hoon main, tu mera shauq dekh mera intezar dekh" (I know I am not worth your attention, but look at my longing."

Another couplet war between the two leaders was in 2013 during a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

Former Prime Minister Singh, in a soft attack on the Opposition, used Mirza Ghalib's lines, "Humein unse hai wafa ki ummeed jo nahin jante wafa kya hai. (We expect loyalty from those who don't know what loyalty is)."

The Leader of the Opposition responded by ‘shers’ by Bashir Badr. "Kuch to majburiyan rahi hongi, yun hi koi bewafa nahin hota (there must be a reason for betrayal)," she said. Sushma also said, "Tumhe wafa yaad nahi, humein jafa yaad nahi, zindagi or maut ke toh do hi tarane hain, ek tumhein yaad nahi, ek humein yaad nahi (you don't remember loyalty and we don't remember disloyalty, life and death have two rhythms, you don't remember one, we don't remember the other)."

When Sushma Swaraj died in August 2019, Manmohan Singh said: "I was shocked to hear about the sudden demise of Sushma Swaraj. I have fond memories of my association with her when she was the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha."