NEW DELHI : Former Prime Minister Dr  Manmohan Singh has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to caution PM Narendra Modi against using unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language against Congress or leaders from any other party as it does not behove his position.

The letter has also been signed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad among others.
Citing comments made by Modi at a recent election rally in Hubli wherein he said that Congress leaders would suffer consequences if they crossed the line, the letter to the president sought the Prime Minister be cautioned against using language that does not behoove the office he occupies.
“The threat held out by the Prime Minister to the INC’s leadership deserves to be condemned. This cannot be the language of the Prime Minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.4 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 the peace,” the letter states. “It is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the Prime Minister as head of the government would utter words which are threatening, intimidating in content and a public warning to the leaders of the main opposition party, the Congress,” said the letter to President Ram Nath Kovind.
The letter refers to PM Modi’s speech at a public meeting in Karnataka’s Hubli on May 6, in which he said: “Congress leaders, please listen carefully, if you cross your limits, remember this is Modi – and you will pay.”The Congress leaders said the Prime Minister “was not expected” to use menacing language while campaigning, because then it would be the abuse of his powers and privileges as PM to settle personal and political scores.
“This cannot be the language of the Prime Minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people. The threat held out by the Prime Minister to the Congress leadership deserves to be condemned,” said the Congress, calling PM Modi’s words unacceptable.”We would like to state that neither the party nor our leaders will be cowed down by such threats.”The Congress letter comes a day before the results of the Saturday Karnataka election, campaigning for which was acrimonious and replete with personal attacks from both sides.Speaking to reporters last week in Bengaluru, Dr Manmohan Singh had accused PM Modi of having “stooped low” and used his office to target his opponents “day in and day out.”
“No Prime Minister in our country has used the office of Prime Minister to say things about his opponent the way Mr Modi has been doing day in and day out… It is very shocking to see the Prime Minister of the country stoop so low and use language and frame ideologies that are unbecoming of a Prime Minister,” the former Prime Minister had said.(With Agency Inputs ).

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