Why Modi mimicking Manmohan is unbecoming of a PM

On Sunday, PM Narendra Modi mimicked former PM Manmohan Singh in Gujarat.

New Delhi, Oct 23: Remember back in 2012, it was then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who while attacking then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over several corruption cases against the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, called him Maun (silent) Mohan Singh.

Modi attacked Singh as he remained "mum" over the various scams that came to light during his tenure as the PM. While many supported such name-calling resorted by Modi, others said that Singh himself was a "clean man".

It seems Modi, even after the passage of five years and winning the 2014 Lok Sabha elections handsomely, is still suffering from Manmohan phobia. Otherwise, why would he during his public rally in Gujarat on Sunday, after inaugurating a slew of projects, decided to impersonate Singh by trying to speak in the former PM's characteristic soft voice.

Before mimicking Singh, Modi called the Congress "anti-Gujarat and anti-development" and thus the people of his home state should not vote for the grand old party during the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.

Modi added that as the CM he suffered at the hands of the Congress-led UPA government as it would sit over development proposals.

Alleging that during his tenure as the Gujarat CM, the then PM Singh always used to ignore his request about laying sluice gates at the Narmada dam.

While narrating the incident when Singh allegedly dishonoured Modi's request, the incumbent PM actually imitated the former PM's voice to the utter shock of the audience.

"Abhi tak aapka ka am nahi hua (Your work still not done)," Modi said in a soft voice trying to impersonate Singh. In fact, the PM repeated the statement twice to sound like Singh.

Modi also mimicked former PM Rajiv Gandhi without naming him. "Humey dekhna hain, hum dekhenge, humey sochna hain, hum sochenge... We do nothing like this, we implement projects in a decided time-frame," Modi said, trying to sound like former PM Gandhi.

Such attempts by Modi to win the hearts of voters of Gujarat, which is going to elections in December, by insulting two former PMs have been criticised by many.

A political analyst, on condition of anonymity, said,"Mr Modi is our PM. When a PM imitates someone else, it shows poorly on him. He is our PM, he should act like one. Moreover, it was a vulgar way to insult two former PMs. This is totally unbecoming of a PM."

Singh, on his part, too has criticised the Modi government, but it was always in a dignified manner laced with facts and figures.

Last year, after PM Modi announced demonetisation, it was Singh, the well-known economist, who during his Rajya Sabha address predicted that because of note ban the Gross Domestic Prpoduct (GDP) of the country will slow down by at least two per cent, which will hurt the people in agriculture, small industries and in the informal sectors.

Singh was bang on in his anlaysis. Nine months after Singh's prediction on demonetisation and its impact on the GDP, in August, when the figures of country's GDP for the first quarter of the current fiscal that ended in June were declared, the former PM and the economist was proved right about his assessment on the whole issue.

It showed that India's economic growth has slid to a three-year low, partly due to demonetisation. India's GDP growth has sharply dipped to 5.7 per cent in Q1 Of 2017-18.

The former PM's criticism on demonetisation was not to target the Modi government, but to tell the voters of India that how a "hasty and unplanned" economic decision could directly hit the GDP.

Modi should definitely learn a few things from his esteem and wise predecessor, not only about "how to help the country's economy from falling", but also about civility and being a gentleman while holding the country's top post.

OneIndia