Listen to ex-PM’s advice on economy: Saamana

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday backed former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who recently said the Indian economy is suffering due to “mismanagement” by the Narendra Modi-government, stating listening to him is in “national interest”.

The support for Singh came after the Central government dismissed Singh’s criticism of handling of the economy.

The Sena through an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana asked the Centre to pay

heed to Singh’s warning and not indulge in politics over the issue.

“The economy is in doldrums. Kashmir and economic slowdown are two different issues. A learned person like Manmohan Singh said there should be no politics around the economic slowdown and experts should be roped in to repair the economy. National interest lies in listening to Manmohan Singh’s advice,” the editorial in Saamana said.

The Sena said that Singh has the “right” to speak about the economy as he has been associated with Indian finance and economy for over 35 years.

The editorial cited Modi’s 2017 raincoat remark on Singh and said, “In the past, Prime Minister Modi had said that ‘Only Manmohan Singh knew the art of bathing with a raincoat on’, but we don’t have qualms in admitting that he knows about economy and finance. He has worked hard to revive the economy when it was in a bad shape.”

The Shiv Sena once again criticised demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, blaming it for the slump.

First Published: Sep 05, 2019 00:51 IST