PM's Language Unacceptable, Manmohan Singh and Co. Write to President
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be cautioned against using "unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language" that is unbecoming for the country's top post, a group of Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, has written in a letter to the President.
"It is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the Prime Minister as head of the government would utter words which are threatening, intimidating in content and a public warning to the leaders of the main opposition party, the Congress," said the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind.
The letter refers to PM Modi's speech at a public meeting in Karnataka's Hubli on May 6, in which he said: "Congress leaders, please listen carefully, if you cross your limits, remember this is Modi - and you will pay."
The Congress leaders said the Prime Minister "was not expected" to use menacing language while campaigning, because then it would be the abuse of his powers and privileges as PM to settle personal and political scores.
"This cannot be the language of the Prime Minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people. The threat held out by the Prime Minister to the Congress leadership deserves to be condemned," said the Congress, calling PM Modi's words unacceptable.
"We would like to state that neither the party nor our leaders will be cowed down by such threats."
Hours later, the BJP came out with its list of abuses that it said had been directed at PM Modi by Congress leaders over the years, some before 2014, when he came to power at the centre.
The Congress letter comes a day before the results of the Saturday Karnataka election, campaigning for which was acrimonious and replete with personal attacks from both sides.
Speaking to reporters last week in Bengaluru, Dr Manmohan Singh had accused PM Modi of having "stooped low" and used his office to target his opponents "day in and day out."
"No Prime Minister in our country has used the office of Prime Minister to say things about his opponent the way Mr Modi has been doing day in and day out... It is very shocking to see the Prime Minister of the country stoop so low and use language and frame ideologies that are unbecoming of a Prime Minister," the former Prime Minister had said.