NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this year slammed PM Narendra Modi's election campaign rhetoric during the Lok Sabha elections and accused him of using divisive language and lowering the dignity of PM's office.
In a letter released to media on May 30, Singh, who passed away at 92 on Thursday, called out PM Modi's 'hateful speeches' and said, “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.”
The Congress veteran also accused Modi of making false statements about him. "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,” Singh had written.
The former PM also condemned the Agnipath scheme, a military recruitment program, calling it a threat to national security. He argued the four-year service term discouraged youth from joining the armed forces. "The Agniveer scheme endangers national security. The Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer scheme."
Singh urged voters to support the Congress party, asserting it would protect democracy and the Constitution. He made this appeal in a letter specifically addressed to voters in Punjab before the seventh phase of voting.
“Only Congress can ensure a growth-oriented progressive future, where democracy and the Constitution shall be safeguarded,” Singh wrote. He also criticised BJP government’s handling of farmer protests and rising economic inequality.
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