Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accused current Narendra Modi of making "vile hate speeches" and using "unparliamentary language" during the ongoing election campaign.
In a letter to the people of the country ahead of the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Singh denied Modi's earlier claim that he had said Muslims have the first right to wealth. Singh stated, "I have never distinguished one community from another. This is the special right and habit of BJP."
The letter read: “I have been watching the political discussion very carefully during this election campaign. Modiji has engaged in vile hate speeches, which are downright divisive. Modi ji is the first Prime Minister who has reduced the dignity of office, and with it the seriousness of the Prime Minister’s office. No previous Prime Minister used such vile, unparliamentary and low-level language to target a particular section or opposition. They have also given me some wrong statements. I have never in my life distinguished one community from another. This is the special right and habit of BJP.”
Appealing for peace and harmony, the former PM added: “I appeal to every voter of Punjab to vote for development and coordinated progress. I urge all young people to vote carefully, and to vote for the future. Only Congress can guarantee a development-led progressive future, where democracy and the Constitution will be protected.”
Last month, while campaigning in Rajasthan, PM Modi had said: “Congress’s manifesto says they will take stock of the gold mothers and daughters have, and will distribute that wealth. Manmohan Singh’s government had said Muslims have the first right to wealth. Brothers and sisters, this Urban Naxal thinking will not spare even the mangal sutras of my mothers and sisters.”
In the letter on Thursday, former PM Manmohan Singh also criticised the BJP's handling of the economy. “In the last ten years, the country’s economy has seen tremendous upheaval. The scourge of demonetisation, mismanaged GST and poor management during the Covid-19 pandemic have created dire conditions. Below average 6-7 percent GDP growth has become normal. Annual GDP growth under the BJP government has dropped to less than 6 percent, while it was around 8 percent during the Congress-UPA,” he said.
He added: “While the Congress-UPA, despite the challenges, continued to increase the purchasing power of our people, the mismanagement of the BJP government has reduced household savings to a historic low of 47 years.”
