Amit Shah hits out at Manmohan Singh, questions 'monumental loot' during UPA regime

Manmohan Singh on Wednesday again accused PM Modi of spreading "falsehood and canards".

Pic courtesy: Twitter/@AmitShah (File image)

New Delhi: BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday hit back at former PM Manmohan Singh over his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked the Congress leader as to why he was silent when a "monumental loot" took place during his tenure at the Centre.

"We want to ask respected Manmohan Singh ji why was he not angry and anguished when a CM of his country was called Maut ka Saudagar. Why is he still silent when PM of his country is called neech," he said in series of tweets.

"When it comes to respected Manmohan Singh ji's honesty, I would not like to say anything. The monumental loot and plunder under his watch speak for him in abundance," Shah asked.

He said the nation missed Singh's anger when the "monumental loot and plunder" were taking place during his tenure as the PM.

"Amused to see the Congress party so desperate before the Gujarat elections. Just a day before polling, both Shri Rahul Gandhi and respected Manmohan Singh ji are only maliciously attacking PM," the BJP chief said.

He also accused Singh of taking a U-turn in declaring that he had attended a meeting with Pakistani diplomats after denying it.

"Only after the secret meeting was exposed, respected Manmohan Singh ji said that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan relations," Shah said, asking him why he had not apprised the government of the meeting.

At the same time, he took Singh on over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi publicly tearing up an ordinance during the UPA rule.

"Where was his concern for the dignity of the Prime Minister's office," he asked.

Amused to see the Congress party so desperate before the Gujarat elections. Just a day before polling, both Shri Rahul Gandhi and respected Manmohan Singh ji are only maliciously attacking PM @narendramodi. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

If Congress is nervous after more than 60 rallies by Shri Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, last day attacks on PM Modi are also not going to help them in Gujarat. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

We want to remind respected Manmohan Singh ji that he has done his best to mislead the people of Gujarat in previous elections but Gujarat has rejected him & Congress everytime. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

We want to ask respected Manmohan Singh ji why was he not angry & anguished when a CM of his country was called ‘Maut Ka Saudagar.’ Why is he still silent when PM of his country is called ‘Neech’? — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

Where was respected Manmohan Singh ji’s anger when Shri Rahul Gandhi tore an ordinance which his Cabinet had cleared? Where was his concern for the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office? — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

The question that Congress and Manmohan Singh need to answer is, why did Shri Anand Sharma and Shri Randeep Surjewala vehemently deny that the meeting with a top Pakistani leader has ever happened? — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

After strongly denying the meeting, why did respected Manmohan Singh take a sharp U-turn and declare that he attended the meeting. — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

Only after the secret meeting was exposed, respected Manmohan Singh ji said that the discussion was confined to India-Pakistan relations. Why did he not consider it appropriate to apprise GoI about such a meeting with a neighbour like Pakistan. Why did he try to hide it? — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

When it comes to respected Manmohan Singh ji’s honesty, I would not like to say anything. The monumental loot and plunder under his watch speak for him in abundance! — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2017

BJP chief's comments came after Singh on Wednesday again accused PM Modi of spreading "falsehood and canards" and tarnishing every constitutional office in a bid to win the Gujarat election and asked him to "apologise to the nation".

Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh issues a statement on the baseless allegations made towards him by PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/Vlqfjcgr5q — Congress (@INCIndia) December 13, 2017

"I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than PM Modi," the Congress leader said in a video release in a repeat of his Monday statement. 

Singh said the Congress needed no sermons on nationalism from the BJP and a Prime Minister whose "compromised track record in fighting terrorism is well known".

Reading out his hard-hitting statement of December 11, he again denied PM Modi`s charge that he and others, including former vice president Hamid Ansari and former Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, discussed the Gujarat election with Pakistani diplomats at a dinner at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar`s residence.

Singh said it was also "wrong and unfair" to question the nationalism of journalists, diplomats and public servants who attended the dinner.

"I reject the innuendos and falsehoods as I did not discuss the Gujarat elections with anyone else at the dinner hosted by Aiyar, as alleged by PM Modi. Nor was the Gujarat issue raised by anyone else present at the dinner. The discussion was confined to India-Pakistan relations," he added.

PM Modi had alleged at a rally in Gujarat that guests at Aiyar`s house discussed the Assembly election with Pakistan`s High Commissioner to India and former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri. 

"There were media reports about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former PM Manmohan Singh. The meeting at Aiyar's house continued for almost three hours. The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is neech (a vile man). This is a serious matter," he had said.

(With PTI and IANS)