New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, saying the past was continually being rewritten to promote a "highly biased and communal view" and dissent was being suppressed.
In an uncharacteristic hard-hitting speech at a convention in New Delhi, Singh said institutions of democracy were "under threat" and the edifice of welfare state was being "dismantled". He also questioned BJP government's claims on economic development, saying rural India was under acute distress and the economic recovery was fragile.
"Institutions of Democracy are under threat. The entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled in the guise of promoting faster economic growth, whereas they are two sides of the same coin.
"The past is continually being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view... Dissent is being suppressed," Singh said in his address at the convention organised by NSUI, the student wing of the Congress.
The Congress party, he said, has tried hard to ensure that India flourishes as an open pluralistic, liberal and secular democracy which was proud of its composite heritage.
"This very idea of India is now under systematic assault. We must understand how this assault is being mounted and then come up with our response," he said.
A renowned economist, Singh also raised the issue of government's performance on economy to attack it, saying that even government's own people felt that the recovery is "fragile".
"In the last one year, BJP government has to manufacture, modify some statistical data to show that this last one year has not been that bad for the economy. But their people are of the view that the recovery that they talk about in the last one year is very fragile recovery," Singh said.
He said the Chief Economic Advisor of the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Reserve Bank, have both been of the view that "recovery is fragile". "And indeed if you look at the harsh reality you will find all is not well with the state of our economy under the BJP dispensation," he added.
Singh claimed that UPA's policies have led to profound social transformation and unprecedented economic growth. He said that during its rule, India had gone on to become the second fastest growing economy after China.
"Many of our programmes are now being repackaged and marketed as initiatives of the BJP government. What the BJP had opposed when we were in power are now being sold as its contribution," he said.
In this regard, he referred to the Modi government's 'Make in India' programme and said it was "carbon copy" of the New Manufacturing Policy of the UPA government. "It does not surprise us, it is a compliment if BJP takes up the constructive work done by UPA," he said.
The BJP leadership, he said, had constantly focused on calling UPA corrupt and levelling the charge of policy paralysis, both of which were far from reality.
"We have nothing, but to be proud of our achievements," Singh told student workers of the Congress.
Singh, however, emphasised the need for the party to connect with the younger generation and also take to new tools of communication like social media, where he said that rivals seemed to have taken a lead.
"Rajiv ji ushered India into modern Information Technology age, but as a party we have not been able to take full advantage of that new opportunities that have arisen. Our political opponents appear to have left us behind in that area. We must fill up this gap. We have much catching up to do and no time to lose," he said.
Emphasising that Congress and its leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were committed to eradication of poverty and bringing in a new India, Singh asked NSUI workers to give correct information to people about what was wrong with BJP government and the lies they were spreading about the UPA government.
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