Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using “hateful, unparliamentary terms to target either a specific section of society or opposition.”
In a letter to Punjab's voters ahead of the seventh-phase of the Lok Sabha polls on June 1, Singh appealed to voters that they have “one final chance to ensure that democracy and our Constitution are protected from the repeated assaults of a despotic regime, trying to unleash dictatorship in India.”
Manmohan Singh said PM Modi "indulged" in the most vicious form of hate speeches.
He said PM Modi lowered the dignity of public discourse.
ALSO READ- Ex-PM Manmohan Singh retires from Rajya Sabha after 33 years
“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,” Singh said.
"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," the senior Congress leader said.
PM Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the “first right on the country's resources”.
{{/usCountry}}PM Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the “first right on the country's resources”.
{{/usCountry}}The former prime minister also criticised the BJP for imposing the Agniveer Scheme on the armed forces, labeling it as ill-conceived. He accused the BJP of undermining patriotism, bravery, and service by limiting their value to just four years, highlighting what he called “fake nationalism”.
ALSO READ- PM Modi's 45-hour meditation at Vivekananda Rock: No entry to beach for visitors
"Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer Scheme endangers National Security. The Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer Scheme," he added.