Narendra Modi First Prime Minister To Lower Dignity Of Public Discourse, Gravity Of PM’s Office: Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh On Narendra Modi: Former Prime Minister and Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Singh on Thursday responded to the current Prime Minister and BJP Lok Sabha MP Narendra Modi over his contentious election speeches and accusations that Manmohan Singh, in his capacity as the PM, favoured the Muslim community.

Hateful Speeches

Former Prime Minister Singh accused PM Modi of “lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the office of the PM” by giving “hateful speeches” during the election campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.

Singh made an appeal to voters of Punjab ahead of the phase 7 of Lok Sabha polls to be held on June 1 as he asserted that only the Congress can ensure a growth-oriented progressive future where democracy and the Constitution will be safeguarded.

On Agniveer Scheme

Singh, the finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao-led Congress government, came down heavily on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government over the Agniveer scheme as he termed it as “imposing an ill-conceived Agniveer scheme on the armed forces”.

Singh, in a letter to voters of Punjab, said, “The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery and service is only four years. This shows their fake nationalism.

First Prime Minister To . . .

“I have been keenly following the political discourse during this election campaign. Modi ji has indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. Modi ji is the first prime minister to lower the dignity of public discourse, and thereby the gravity of the office of the prime minister.

“No prime minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific section of the society or the opposition. He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP.”

Accusation Of Pro Muslim Bias

A few days back, PM Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the first right over the country’s resources.

Singh said the people of India are seeing through all of this. “This narrative of dehumanisation has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord,” Singh said in the letter.

(With PTI inputs)