PM Modi, Manmohan Singh exchange greetings after war of words

PM Narendra Modi (L) shakes hand with former PM Manmohan Singh. (Source: AP photo)

After a bitter war of words between the Congress and BJP during the recently concluded Gujarat poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday exchanged greetings during a ceremony to honour the martyrs of the 2001 Parliament attack.

After shaking hands outside the Parliament House in New Delhi, they paid tributes to security officials who lost their lives in the 2001 attack that killed 14 people. Several other ministers including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Ravi Shankar Prasad were also present.

Expressing anguish at the  “falsehood” and “canards” being spread by PM Modi to “score political points”, Singh in a statement on Monday said, “Modi is setting a dangerous precedent by his insatiable desire to tarnish every constitutional office, including that of a former Prime Minister and Army Chief”.

Click to see photos | Political leaders remember martyrs of 2001 Parliament attack on its 16th anniversary

Singh was responding to Modi’s claim at an election rally in Gujarat on Sunday that Pakistan has been allegedly interfering in the state assembly elections. He also claimed that a “secret meeting” was held on December 6 at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s residence, which was attended by former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri and Pakistan High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood.