Narendra Modi is the first head of govt to reduce the dignity of PM’s office, says Manmohan Singh

Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the Manmohan Singh-led dispensation of having said that Muslims have the first right to wealth, the former PM in a three-page letter said Narendra Modi is the first PM to have reduced the dignity of PM's office.

Responding to PM Modi's statement, Singh said that he had “never distinguished one community from another”.

In a letter addressed to the citizens ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Manmohan Singh said: “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 to the voters of Punjab ahead of voting on June 1, Singh urged the electorate to vote for development and coordinated progress. He added that only the grand old party can ensure development and ensure an ideal social order where constitutional provisions are regarded supreme.

Speaking on the prevailing economic scenario, the renowned economist went on to hit out at the BJP over the country’s 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,” Singh said.

The former Prime Minister 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.”