'Lowered dignity of PM's office': Former PM Manmohan Singh hits back at PM Modi, pens scathing letter

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has delivered a scathing rebuke to his successor Narendra Modi, accusing him of diminishing the stature of the Prime Minister's office through his "hateful and unparliamentary" rhetoric targeting a specific community. Singh condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he labeled as the party's exclusive targeting of a particular community, asserting that this divisive approach belonged solely to the BJP.

Singh's remarks came in response to PM Modi's assertions at a rally in Rajasthan in April, where Modi alleged that if the Congress were to return to power, it would distribute the nation's wealth to families with more children. Modi also referenced Singh's past comments suggesting that Muslims had the first claim on the country's resources.

Singh made these remarks in a letter addressed to the people of Punjab, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for June 1. In that letter, Singh decried PM Modi's engagement in what he termed as "vicious hate speeches" designed to sow division among communities.

Singh refuted PM Modi's attributed statements, asserting, "I have never in my life singled out one community from another. That is the sole copyright of the BJP."

Singh also criticized PM Modi's pledge to double farmers' income by 2022, claiming that his policies over the past decade had instead depleted farmers' earnings. He highlighted the dire financial circumstances faced by farmers, citing a national average monthly income of just Rs 27 and an average debt of Rs 27,000 per farmer.

Furthermore, Singh lamented the economic turmoil witnessed in the past decade, citing the "demonetisation disaster," flawed implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and mismanagement during the Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to subpar GDP growth.

Singh condemned the BJP-led government's handling of the 2020-21 farmers' protests, citing the deaths of 750 farmers, mostly from Punjab, during the protests at Delhi's borders. He criticized PM Modi's derogatory remarks, labeling protesting farmers as "andolanjeevis" and "parjeevi" (parasites) in Parliament.

Singh concluded by condemning the BJP government's treatment of Punjab, Punjabis, and Punjabiyat over the past decade, accusing them of relentless criticism and neglect.