Modi’s BJP targets opposition over ailing former India PM Manmohan Singh attending parliament debate

While the ruling party slammed the opposition for bringing the 90-year-old leader to parliament to shore up their numbers in a vote, the opposition Congress said it showed the veteran’s dedication towards democracy.

• Shubham
• 08 August, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

FORMER Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Monday (7) took part in a crucial discussion in the Rajya Sabha or Upper Chamber of the Indian parliament after reaching the session in a wheelchair and it did not take much time to trigger a political fight between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Indian National Congress to which Singh belongs.

As the former prime minister (2004-14), often called the architect of India’s economic liberalisation in 1991, arrived in the parliament when the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023 was discussed, the BJP lashed out at the Congress accusing it of keeping the ailing 90-year-old leader seated in a wheelchair in the parliament late at night “to sustain their dishonest alliance” and called it “extremely shameful”.

“The country will remember, this madness of the Congress! Even in such a critical health condition, Congress kept a former Prime Minister seated in a wheelchair in the Parliament late at night, all just to sustain their dishonest alliance! Extremely shameful!” the BJP wrote in a post on social media platform X in Hindi.

याद रखेगा देश, कांग्रेस की ये सनक!

कांग्रेस ने सदन में एक पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री को देर रात स्वास्थ्य की ऐसी स्थिति में भी व्हील चेयर पर बैठाये रखा वो भी सिर्फ़ अपना बेईमान गठबंधन ज़िंदा रखने के लिए!

बेहद शर्मनाक! pic.twitter.com/EVj9RR7XmP

— BJP (@BJP4India) August 7, 2023

Supriya Shrinate, chairperson of the Congress’s social media and digital platforms, hit back at the saffron party saying Singh’s presence showed his “dedication towards democracy”.

“This dedication towards democracy of the doctor sahab is a testament to his faith in the Constitution of this country. Even if the BJP has pushed its elders into a mental coma, they remain our inspiration, our courage. Tell your master to learn something – don’t become a deserter,” she said on X.

चरणचंपकों,

यह लोकतंत्र के प्रति डाक्टर साहब का समर्पण है – यह इस देश के संविधान में उनकी आस्था है

भाजपा ने अपने बुजुर्गों को भले मानसिक कोमा में धकेल दिया हो – हमारे बड़े हमारी प्रेरणा, हमारा हौसला हैं

अपने आका से कहो कुछ सीखें – भगौड़ा ना बनें https://t.co/Vn9fcTtxPi

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) August 7, 2023

Raghav Chadha, a parliamentarian of the Aam Aadmi Party which currently rules Delhi, thanked Singh in a X post, saying, “Today, in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Manmohan Singh stood as a beacon of integrity and came especially to vote against the black ordinance. His unwavering commitment to democracy and the constitution is a profound inspiration. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to him for his invaluable support.”

Besides Singh, an ailing Shibu Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was also seen in the house as the opposition tried to show its numbers to get the backing of over 100 parliamentarians against the bill which seeks to dilute powers of the Delhi government over services. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with the backing of 131 MPs and 102 against.