Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, anguished by Narendra Modi’s unbecoming speeches during the Karnataka poll campaign, has written to President Ram Nath Kovind, appealing him to advise Modi to maintain the dignity of the Prime Minister’s position..
The letter, signed by Singh and other Congress leaders, has drawn the President’s attention to Modi’s May 6 speech in Hubli where he threatened Congress leaders with payback if they “crossed the line”.
Singh states that the office of the PM holds a “very special position under the Constitution” and even reminds that the PM, in his oath to office, is pledged to do “right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill will”.
The letter appeals to the President to “caution the PM from using such unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language against the leaders of the Congress party or any other party or person as it does not behove the position of the Prime Minister”.
The letter says that “it is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the PM 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 i.e. Indian National Congress”.
“The threat held out by the PM to the Congress leadership deserves to be condemned,” the letter says. “This cannot be the language of of the PM of a of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people,” Singh says in the letter, adding that “such discourse…” is unacceptable conduct”.
The letter mentions the specific line used by Modi to threaten Congress leaders. “Congress ke neta kaan kholkar sun lijiye, agar simayon ko paar karoge, toh yeh Modi hai, lene ke dene pad jayenege,” Modi said at the rally, the letter states.
Besides former PM Manmohan Singh, several senior Congress leaders, including Dr Karan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma, Ashok Gehlot, Motilal Vora, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel have signed on the letter.
Read Letter:
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