Former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh has taken aim at the BJP, accusing its government of consistently undermining Punjab and its people over the past decade. Singh’s remarks came in a letter posted by Congress on Thursday, just ahead of the final phase of Lok Sabha elections, including Punjab’s 13 seats.
The former PM while appealing to the Punjab voters, said, “In the past ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders, for months together. As if the lathis and the rubber bullets were not enough, none less than the Prime Minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them “Andolanjeevis” and “Parjeevi” (Parasites) on the floor of the Parliament. Their only demand was the withdrawal of the three farm laws imposed on them without consulting them.”
He said, “Punjab and Punjabis are warriors. We are known for our spirit of sacrifice. Our indomitable courage and innate belief in the Democratic ethos of inclusiveness, harmony, amity, and Brotherhood can protect our great nation.”
Asserting Punjab’s resilience and spirit, Singh rallied support for the Congress party’s promises, particularly focusing on agricultural reforms. He outlined five guarantees under the “Kisaan Nyay” initiative in the party’s manifesto, including legal assurance of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and removal of GST on farm inputs.
He said, “…for five years, when the Congress party was in power, the BJP government at the Centre was consistent in denying funds to Punjab. Whether they were meant for debt restructuring, a legacy issue of the previous BJP-Akali government, or for farm loan waiver, or the pending wage liabilities for MGNREGA.”
Singh did not shy away from attacking PM Modi directly, condemning what he termed as “vicious hate speeches” during the election campaign.
Mounting an attack on Modi, Singh said, “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 said.
He concluded his letter with a quote from Allama Iqbal, paying tribute to India’s diverse and pluralistic civilization.
