Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday issued an appeal to voters in Punjab to “vote for development and inclusive progress” when the state goes to polls on June 1 in the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Singh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in the “most vicious form of hate speeches” and asserted that only the Congress could ensure a “growth-oriented progressive future, where democracy and the Constitution shall be safeguarded”.
Lok Sabha Election Results 2019
In a written appeal, he stated, “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.”
Taking potshots at PM Modi, Manmohan 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. People of India are seeing through all of this. This narrative of dehumanization has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord,” Singh added, urging voters “to give love, peace, fraternity, and harmony a chance in India”.
Manmohan Singh added, “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.”
Referring to his tenure as PM, he said, “Even though there was an Akali-BJP government in the state for most part of my tenure, following true spirit of cooperative federalism, we left no stone unturned in providing the rightful share of resources to the people of Punjab.”
He added, “On the other hand, for five years, when the Congress party was in power [in Punjab], 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.”
“The Congress-UPA government had provided a loan waiver worth Rs 72,000 Cr to 3.73 Cr farmers, increased the MSP, widened its spectrum, increased production, while encouraging exports. All this resulted in double the growth in agriculture in our period, as compared to the last ten years,” Singh further pointed out.
Putting the Agniveer scheme under scanner, he said, “The BJP government imposed an ill-conceived Agniveer scheme on our armed forces…The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the armed forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer scheme endangers national Security. Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer scheme.”