PM Modi welcoming former prime minister Manmohan Singh at 7 RCR on Wednesday
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh at his Race Course Residence on Wednesday evening, there was much speculation on the purpose of the former PM's visit.
It came at the end of a day when Dr Singh had, uncharacteristically, made a scathing attack on the Modi government and multiple leaders of the BJP, including party chief Amit Shah, had hit back at Dr Singh.
The Prime Minister's Office described Dr Singh's visit to 7 Race Course Road, where he lived till a year ago, as a courtesy call. PM Modi, who completed one year in office on Tuesday, had visited Dr Singh after taking over, sources pointed out.
PM Modi tweeted their photo and said, "Very happy to meet Dr. Manmohan Singh ji & welcome him back to 7RCR. We had a great meeting."
Hours later, however, Dr Singh's office said in a statement, "At the invitation of PM Modi, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh met the Prime Minister today... they discussed the economic situation in the country and foreign policy issues."
Earlier in the day, Dr Singh said in a hard-hitting speech, "Institutions of Democracy are under threat. The entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled in the guise of promoting faster economic growth," adding, "The past is continually being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view... Dissent is being suppressed."
The former PM also said questioned the Modi government's claims on economic development, saying rural India was under acute distress and that the economic recovery was "fragile".
Accused by former aides and colleagues of permissiveness towards corruption in his government, Dr Singh also asserted, "I have not used my public office to enrich myself, to enrich my family or my friends. The BJP government keeps on harping on this theme of corruption because it wants to divert people's attention to non-issues."
Manmohan Singh "cannot run away from its responsibility" by merely saying that he had not "enriched" himself, countered BJP chief Amit Shah. "The debate is not over simply because you do not yourself engage in corruption. A Prime Minister is expected to provide corruption free governance," he said.