‘Hazaron jawabo se achi hai meri khamoshi’: When Manmohan Singh used 'shayari' to counter oppositon

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aged 92, passed away late on Thursday evening after prolonged illness.
Manmohan Singh is widely regarded as the architect of the economic reforms introduced during PV Narasimha Rao's tenure, which contributed to India's economic growth.
Beyond economics, Singh had a deep interest in 'shayari' (Urdu poetry), often using it during parliamentary debates and press briefings to respond to political opponents.
One of his most famous poetic statements was: "Hazaro jawabo'n se achi hai meri khamoshi, jo kayi sawalo ki aabru dhak leti hai."
From 2009 to 2014, during the 15th Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, then Leader of the Opposition, engaged in several poetic exchanges with the former prime minister. One notable instance occurred in March 2011, during a heated discussion on a Wikileaks cable that alleged Congress had bribed MPs during the 2008 trust vote. Sushma Swaraj recited Shahab Jafari's 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 change the topic, just tell why the caravan was looted, we have nothing to say about the robbers, but this is a question on your leadership).
Manmohan Singh responded with Allama Iqbal’s couplet:
"Mana ki teri deed 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).

Ghalib in the Parliament
Another poetic exchange occurred in 2013 during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. The former PM remarked with Mirza Ghalib’s words:
"Humein unse hai wafa ki ummeed jo nahin jante wafa kya hai" (We expect loyalty from those who don’t know what loyalty is).
In response, Sushma Swaraj recited two couplets. The first, by Bashir Badr:
"Kuch to majburiyan rahi hongi, yun hi koi bewafa nahin hota" (There must be a reason for betraying love).
Her second response was:
"Tumhe wafa yaad nahi, Humein jafa yaad nahi, zindagi or maut ke toh do hee 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).
After Sushma Swaraj’s passing in August 2019, Manmohan Singh described her as a great parliamentarian and a talented Union minister.
It is also worth noting the former PM's reply to the no-confidence motion against his government in 2008. Singh said almost prophetically, "The greatness of democracy is that we are all birds of passage! We are here today, gone tomorrow! But in the brief time that the people of India entrust us with this responsibility, it is our duty to be honest and sincere in the discharge of these responsibilities."