New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday categorically stated that he has never misused his public office.
Speaking at a national convention of the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI), Singh said, “I have never misused my public office to enrich myself, to enrich my family or to enrich my friends.”
The remarks came just a day after reports emerged that former TRAI chairman Pradip Baijal, in his self-published tell-all book 'The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power and Private Enterprise - A Practitioner's Diary', has claimed that Manmohan Singh as the then prime minister had warned him of "harm" if he didn't cooperate in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
The 2G spectrum allocation under UPA government later emerged as one of India's biggest scams.
Speaking at the convention, Singh today said, “I want to assure you that we have been fighting corruption, we will continue to fight corruption and there'll be no compromise.”
Singh also slammed the Narendra Modi-led NDA government for harping on corruption to detract people's attention to non-issues.
He said the “institutions of democracy are under threat” and that dissent is being suppressed.
The former PM further accused the Modi government of re-enacting UPA schemes and marketing them afresh.
“UPA schemes are now being marketed under new names by the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What BJP had opposed when we were in power, are now being sold as its contribution,” Singh alleged.
He, however, added: “But this doesn’t surprise us. This is the compliment BJP could pay to the constructive work done by the UPA government.”
“We had launched many new programs and new schemes. We had put in place many new policies. This had led to profound social transformation and unprecedented economic growth as well. However, the entire edifice of welfare state is now being dismantled,” Singh cautioned.
Singh further rejected criticism of “policy paralysis” during the UPA government rule.
“Talk of policy paralysis is untrue. When our government left, India was the second fastest growing economy,” he stated.
“There is a 'fragileness' in economic recovery under the present government,” Singh said, adding the NDA government has had to alter and tweak statistical data to say that the last year has not been bad.
“All is not well with the Indian economy. Investment is not going up. Agricultural production is declining. Exports are declining. Farmers are under distress. Throughout the country, there is acute distress in rural areas,” he warned.
Singh also slammed PM Modi's pet “Make in India” initiative and said it is a carbon copy of the new manufacturing policy the UPA government had chalked out.
He also hit out at the Modi government for rewriting text books to suit their views.
“The past is continuously being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view of history,” Singh said.
