Manmohan Singh accuses PM Modi of ‘lowering dignity of PMO with hate speeches’
The Hindu
Dr. Manmohan Singh accuses PM Modi of divisive hate speeches, lowering PMO dignity, and harming economy in Punjab.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “lowering the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with hate speeches”, his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh denied that he ever singled out a community for special treatment.
“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,” Dr. Singh said in three-page three-page appeal to the voters of Punjab on Thursday.
Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab is slated for June 1 during the last phase of the general election.
“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,” he added.
Dr. Singh didn’t mention the remark about the community in his letter. However, Mr. Modi at a public meeting in Rajasthan, claimed that Dr. Singh said (in 2006) “Muslims had the first claim on the country’s resources”.
Pointing out that in the past ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating “Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat”, Dr. Singh said that 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders (during protests against now repealed farm laws), for months together. “As if the lathis and the rubber bullets were not enough, none less than the Prime Minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them ‘Andolanjeevis’ and ‘Parjeevi’ (Parasites) on the floor of the Parliament. Their only demand was the withdrawal of the three farm laws imposed on them without consulting them.” he said, adding that the BJP policies have eroded the earnings of farmers.
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