Tejas Navale

Pune: So far, the six phases of general elections for Lok Sabha 2024 have taken place, and now only the last phase of the election is going to take place on June 1. In this election, Punjab will vote for all 13 of its constituencies. On this backdrop, the Indian National Congress shared a letter, written by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on their X account, criticising the Modi government for their failures in two terms.

In a letter addressed to the voters of the state, Manmohan Singh rebuked PM Narendra Modi for his hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. He wrote, "Modi has indulged in the most vicious forms of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. No PM in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary terms to target either a specific section of society or the opposition."

Singh's letter highlighted the efforts of the BJP government, led by Modi, to vilify Punjab, Punjabis, and the essence of Punjabiyat. "Over the past decade, the government has relentlessly targeted Punjab and its people. Tragically, during the prolonged protests at Delhi borders, around 750 farmers, predominantly from Punjab, lost their lives. Despite facing batons and rubber bullets, the farmers endured further verbal assaults from none other than the Prime Minister himself, who referred to them as "Andolanjeevis" (professional protesters) and "Parjeevi" (parasites) during a parliamentary session. Their sole plea was the repeal of the three contentious farm laws, which were imposed without their consultation," added Manmohan Singh.

The former Prime Minister also blamed the Modi government for its impracticable and flawed economic measures, which ultimately crippled the nation's economy's real growth. "The implementation of demonetization, a flawed GST system, and the mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a grim scenario where a GDP growth expectation of merely 6-7 percent has become the accepted standard. Under the BJP government, the average GDP growth has dropped below 6 percent, whereas during the Congress-UPA era, it stood at approximately 8 percent.," Singh added.

Singh noted in the letter that, despite challenges, the Congress-UPA had succeeded in increasing the purchasing power of the people. In contrast, he criticised the BJP government's misrule for causing household savings to drop to a historic 47-year low. He also mentioned that rural wages had consistently fallen, and wage disparity had led to widespread distress.

Singh has strongly criticised the BJP government's Agniveer scheme, claiming it undermines the true value of patriotism and service by limiting it to just four years. "The BJP government imposed the Agniveer scheme; it thinks the value of patriotism and service is only four years, showing their fake nationalism," Singh stated.

He further added, "Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. The youth of Punjab, the sons of farmers, who dream of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, are now reconsidering recruitment, knowing it's only for a four-year stint. The Agniveer Scheme endangers national security. The Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer Scheme."

Singh, in the end, appealed to people to vote against these divisive forces and save the country's constitution. "It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord," said Manmohan Singh.