New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took his last breath on Thursday night at Delhi’s AIIMS hospital at 92 due to age-related ailments. PM Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tribute to the veteran economist. Modi said, ‘He will always be remembered as an honest man, a great economist and a leader who dedicated himself to reforms. However, there were times when both leaders didn't seem to see eye-to-eye, mostly triggered by ideological and political differences. 


Agnipath Scheme 


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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had strongly spoken against the BJP government for introducing the Agnipath scheme, calling it ‘ill-conceived’ and a serious threat to national security. In what many regard as his last direct communication with voters in Punjab, Singh remarked, “The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery, and service is only four years. This shows their fake nationalism.”  


The Congress party had shared Singh's poignant letter with the media on May 30. Highlighting the plight of aspirants, Singh stated, “Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the Modi regime.” He further underscored the party's commitment to overturning the policy, adding, “The Agniveer scheme endangers national security. The Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer scheme.” 


PM Modi’s ‘Infiltrator’ Remark 


Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had condemned PM Modi for making ‘inflammatory’ remarks, accusing him of eroding the dignity of political discourse and the office of the prime minister. “I have been keenly following the political discourse during this (Lok Sabha 2024) election campaign. Modi ji has indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. 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,” he had stated. 


Singh also expressed dismay over Modi's use of disparaging language to target specific communities and the opposition. “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,” Singh remarked. 


“People of India are seeing through all of this. This narrative of dehumanisation has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord,” he had said 


Addressing a gathering in Banswara, Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the former Manmohan Singh-led government of promoting ‘divisive policies’, claiming it had advocated for redistributing wealth from Hindus to Muslims. He referred to a statement made during Singh’s tenure, asserting that "Muslims have the first right to wealth." 


Farmers Protest 


During the farmers' protest, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lambasted the BJP government for its treatment of Punjab and its farmers, accusing it of systematically targeting Punjab, Punjabis, and their cultural essence. Reflecting on the sacrifices made during the agitation, Singh stated, “In the past 10 years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders, for months together.” 


He criticized Prime Minister Modi's remarks in Parliament. “As if the lathis and the rubber bullets were not enough, none less than the prime minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them 'andolanjeevis' and 'parjeevi (parasites).'” Singh noted that the farmers’ sole demand was the repeal of the three controversial farm laws, which had been imposed without their consultation.


(With agency inputs)