In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election speeches in Karnataka, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to the President of India asking him to caution the PM from using unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language against Congress leaders and members. He said such language and intimidation do not behove the position of a prime minister.
Recalling the oath of the Prime Minister’s Office, Singh wrote:
In the past, all prime ministers of India have maintained immense dignity and decorum in discharge of public or private functions/actions. It is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the prime minister as Head of the Government would utter words which are threatening, intimidating in content and a public warning to the leaders and members of the main opposition party ie Indian National Congress.
In his letter to President Ramnath Kovind, Singh referred to PM Modi’s public speech at Hubli in Karnataka ahead of Assembly elections in the state where he had said, “Congress neta kaan kholkar sun lijiye, agar simayo ko paar karenge, toh yeh Modi hai, lene ke dene par jayenge (Congress leaders, if you cross your limits, remember that you are dealing with Modi, your tricks will backfire on you).”
The former prime minister wrote, “The threat held out by the prime minister to the INC’s leadership deserves to be condemned. This cannot be the language of the prime minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people.”
Singh said that Congress is the oldest political party in India and has exhibited courage and fearlessness in facing threats and challenges. He said that neither the party nor its leaders will be “cowed down by such threats”.
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