Pained by PM Modi’s Lies, Says Manmohan; Amit Shah Hits Back

The former PM slammed Modi for alleging that the Congress met Pakistan officials to discuss Gujarat elections.

Manmohan Singh said Narendra Modi was setting a “dangerous precedent” with his “insatiable desire to tarnish” every Constitutional office.

(Photo: The Quint)

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Monday, 11 December, slammed PM Narendra Modi for alleging that the Congress met Pakistani officials to discuss the Gujarat Assembly elections with them.

Reacting to Singh’s comments and Rahul Gandhi’s recent interview, BJP President Amit Shah, on Wednesday, 13 December, said the pair seems desperate in its “malicious” attack on Modi.

Questioning Singh’s anger, Shah asked where was the former PM’s anger when Modi was called “maut ka saudagar” and “neech”.

In a series of tweets, Shah said why did Congress MLA Randeep Surjewala “vehemently deny that the meeting with a top Pakistani leader has ever happened”.

Singh, in his statement, had said he was “pained and anguished by falsehood and canards being spread” by Modi. Singh had accused Modi of spreading “falsehoods in a lost cause.”

The former prime minister asserted that Modi was setting a "dangerous precedent" with his "insatiable desire to tarnish" every Constitutional office, including that of a former prime minister and army chief.

Modi had accused a group of Congress leaders of meeting Pakistan's High Commissioner at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence before the latter called him "neech aadmi". He said the meeting at Aiyar's residence, on 6 December, was also attended by former vice president Hamid Ansari and Manmohan Singh.

List of those who were invited for dinner by Mani Shankar Aiyer on 6 December.

Singh said the Congress party did not need “sermons on nationalism” and that Modi’s track record on fighting terrorism, or lack thereof, was “well known.”

He also asserted that all those invited could not be accused of indulging in anti-national activities.

Singh said he “sincerely hoped” that the Prime Minister apologises to the nation for his “ill-thought transgression.”