‘First prime minister to lower…: Manmohan Singh’s sharp attack on PM Modi during 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Dr Manmohan Singh had accused Modi of being the first prime minister to lower the standard of public discourse and tarnish the dignity of the office.

Despite his fragile health, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh displayed his political sharpness during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He criticized his successor, Narendra Modi, for making “hateful speeches” during the campaign, accusing him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the office of the prime minister. In a message to voters in Punjab before the seventh phase of elections on June 1, Singh urged them to support the Congress. He emphasized that only Congress could ensure a progressive future with growth, democracy, and the Constitution safeguarded.

Singh also condemned the BJP government for introducing the “ill-conceived” Agnipath scheme for the Armed Forces, calling it a threat to national security. He argued that the scheme devalued patriotism, bravery, and service by limiting recruitment to just four years, describing it as an example of the BJP’s “fake nationalism.”

In what was likely his last letter to Punjab voters, released by the Congress on May 30, Singh expressed his disappointment over the betrayal of aspiring recruits who had trained for regular military service. He said the youth, especially farmers’ sons in Punjab who dreamed of serving the nation, were now hesitant about joining the Armed Forces due to the short-term Agniveer scheme. Singh assured that the Congress party would abolish the scheme if elected.

Taking aim at Modi, Singh said he had been following the election campaign closely and was disheartened by Modi’s divisive and hateful speeches. He accused Modi of being the first prime minister to lower the standard of public discourse and tarnish the dignity of the office.

Singh noted that no previous prime minister had used such hateful, undignified, and offensive language targeting specific groups or the opposition. He also refuted false statements attributed to him by Modi, stressing that he had never discriminated between communities, which he said was a tactic exclusive to the BJP.

“I have been keenly following the political discourse during this election campaign. 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.

“No prime minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific section of the society or the opposition. 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,” the former prime minister had said.

Singh concluded by urging voters to reject the politics of hate and division, stating, “This narrative of dehumanisation has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord,” he had said in the letter.