The former PM was speaking at the second AB Bardhan memorial lecture. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal/File)
On a day when the both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah attacked the Congress over corruption charges levelled against the government on Rafale aircraft deal, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said that the armed forces are a splendid embodiment of the country’s “secular project”and it is vital that they remain uncontaminated from any sectarian appeal.
The former PM was speaking at the second AB Bardhan memorial lecture on the topic of “defence of secularism and constitution.” As the political parties gear up for the elections in six states and general elections, Singh said that as a custodian of electoral practice in the country it is the duty of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to see that religion and religious prejudices do not get used in the electoral discourse.
“As the custodian of the integrity of the electoral process, it is incumbent upon the Election Commission to see to it that religion and religious sentiments and prejudices do not get worked into the election discourse. The Commission must be thinking of rolling back the easy acceptance of over-manipulation of religious imagery,” Singh said.
Talking about judiciary as the custodian of the Constitution, Singh said, “The judiciary needs to arrive at its own enlightened view of its custodianship of the Constitution – irrespective of the irresponsible and selfish politicians who have no qualms in injecting the communal virus in our body politic.”
Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Amit Shah, who were in Bhopal to begin party’s election campaign in Madhya Pradesh, targetted the Congress and said, “What a condition the 125-year-old Congress been reduced to! Nothing remains in the Congress… You need to look for the Congress party with a microscope now.”
Modi said that the opposition parties had formed the “Maha-gathbandhan” (grand alliance) out of fear of losing the polls. “Due to fear of defeat, Congress is begging for the alliance with small parties,” he said. He said the Congress “arrogance” makes its leaders believe that ruling the country is their right.