PM used ‘threatening’ language in campaign: Manmohan to President

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior Congress leaders have written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to “caution Prime Minister Narendra Modi from using threatening and intimidating language” against opposition leaders during election campaigns.

The letter, dated May 13, refers to the Prime Minister’s election speech at Hubli in Karnataka on May 6 in which he had warned Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi (although not by name) not to “cross the limits of public decorum” . They would otherwise have to pay for this, the Prime Minister warned. Though he did not directly name any leader, he mentioned “Congress maa (Congress mother)” and her son in an apparent reference to the Gandhis.

“The threat held out by the Prime Minister to the Congress leadership deserves to be condemned. This cannot be the language of the Prime Minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people. Such discourse, whether in public or private, is unacceptable conduct. The words used are menacing and intimidating with intent to insult and provoke breach of peace,” the letter said.

Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP spokesperson, however, said, “Those who called an elected CM (Narendra Modi) maut ka saudagar, should not raise fingers at the Prime Minister.”