Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the PM office with his “hateful speeches” during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

In a letter to the people of the country ahead of the June 1 voting, Dr Singh said that he has been keenly following the elections and that Modi indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches.

In the three-page open letter, the veteran Congress leader said, “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 senior Congress leader, who served as India’s Prime Minister for two terms from 2004 to 2014, accused the Narendra Modi government of denying funds to Punjab when Congress ruled the state.

“Even though there was an Akali-BJP government in the state for most part of my tenure, following the true spirit of cooperative federalism, we left no stone unturned in providing the rightful share of resources to the people of Punjab. On the other hand, 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,” he said.

Highlighting the state of economy, Singh claimed that India’s economy witnessed “unimaginable turmoil” during 10 years of Modi government.

“The imposition of the demonetisation disaster, a flawed GST, and the painful mismanagement during the COVID pandemic has resulted in a miserable situation, where an expectation of a subpar 6-7 per cent GDP growth has become the new normal.

“Average GDP growth under the BJP Government has plunged to under 6 per cent, while during Congress-UPA tenure, it was about 8 per cent (New Series). Unprecedented unemployment and unbridled inflation have greatly widened inequality, which is now at a 100-year high,” he claimed.

The former prime minister also hit out at the Modi government for imposing an “ill-conceived” Agniveer scheme in Army recruitments.

“The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery and service is only 4 years. This shows their fake nationalism. Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. 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,” he added.

He appealed to the people of Punjab to vote for the Congress party, asserting that only the grand old party can ensure the growth-oriented progressive future of India where democracy and the country’s Constitution will be safeguarded.