Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came down heavily on Narendra Modi and accused him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of PM's office. Manmohan Singh also targeted the BJP government over Agniveer scheme and appealed Punjab voters to expose them. Singh said, " BJP govt imposed Agniveer scheme. It thinks value of patriotism, service is only 4 years, shows their fake nationalism. "In a letter released ahead of seventh phase polling, Singh said, "Only Congress can ensure a growth-oriented progressive future where democracy and Constitution will be safeguarded." Manmohan Singh also appealed to Punjab voters to give love, peace, fraternity, and harmony a chance and vote for development and inclusive progress.
Mounting an attack on Modi, Singh said, "I have been keenly following the political discourse during this 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. "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," the former prime minister said. Interestingly , in one of the poll rallies, PM Modi had accused Manmohan Singh of saying that Muslims have the first right on the country's resources.
Singh served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. A member of the Indian National Congress, Singh was the first Sikh prime minister of India. He was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. Singh is also regarded as the most educated prime minister of India. Manmohan Singh was ranked 18 on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People. Forbes magazine described Singh as being "universally praised as India's best prime minister since Nehru". Australian journalist Greg Sheridan praised Singh "as one of the greatest statesmen in Asian history." Singh was later ranked 19 and 28 in 2012 and 2013 in the Forbes list.