Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday hit out at his successor Narendra Modi saying the culture of “constant self-praise” and “jumlas” cannot replace policymaking.
Singh, who has been engaged in a war of words with Modi for the last few months, said he “rejects the culture of constant self-praise and jumlas of PM as against solid policy framework” for driving the engine of growth”.
His remarks come in response to Modi’s assertion earlier this month that his Government had to steer the nation’s economy out of “unbelievable” decay left by an “economist Prime Minister” and a ‘know-it-all’ Finance Minister.
Speaking at the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet, Singh pointed out that Modi’s claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require the agriculture sector to grow at a rate of 14 per cent, which, he said, was nowhere in sight.
“We will support Rahul Gandhi in his ‘onerous’ task of restoring India’s social harmony, economic development,” he said.
Former Prime Minister assured Rahul that he and all other Congressmen will help him in the onerous task of restoring India’s social harmony and economic development.
“I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring India’s social harmony and economic development,” he said, rejecting the culture of constant “self praise and jumlas” (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.
While addressing the CWC, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh backed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of a joint Opposition alliance in the 2019 lok Sabha elections.
At the extended meeting of the CWC, he also supported senior party leader P Chidambaram’s views on the need for a broad-based alliance with other Opposition parties.
Reiterating his earlier stand, Amarinder said Rahul was fully competent to lead the country and would surely prove to be a successful Prime Minister. He said the Congress should explore all alliance possibilities for next year’s lok Sabha elections and Rahul should lead the joint opposition front to oust the ‘divisive’ BJP-led NDA from power.
“The alignments will have to happen at the national level. Whatever call the national leadership will take on alliances and whatever they decide will apply to the States,” he told reporters at Parliament House Annexe after addressing the meeting.
The Punjab Chief Minister said alliances for the lok Sabha polls would be worked out by the party at the national level, with the state units following suit.
Asked if he was open to an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the Congress had routed in Punjab, he said, “This is a decision to be taken at the national level. The alliances will be dependent on where the central leadership takes us. And wherever it takes us, we will go.”