Manmohan Takes on Modi Again, Amit Shah Reminds Him of Sonia's ‘Maut Ka Saudagar’ Remark

New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh hit out at successor Narendra Modi again on Wednesday, accusing him of spreading "falsehood and canards" to score political points and seeking an apology for his "ill-thought transgression".

On the eve of second phase voting in Gujarat, Singh put out a video message to attack Modi over his remarks insinuating that the Congress leader colluded with Pakistan in the polls, and said it was unfair to question the nationalism of public servants.

"I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister Narendra (sic) Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable," he said.

He said he sincerely hoped that the prime minister will show "maturity and gravitas", as expected of the high office he holds, instead of concentrating his energy solely on scoring "erroneously conceived brownie points".

Strongly rejecting the "innuendos and falsehoods" made by Modi, Singh said he did not discuss Gujarat elections with anyone else at the dinner hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar as alleged by Modi and nor was the Gujarat issue raised by anyone else present at the dinner.

The former premier also asserted that Modi "is setting a dangerous precedent by his insatiable desire to tarnish every constitutional office, including that of a former prime minister and Army Chief", and described it as sad and regrettable.

"Let me remind Narendra Modi that he had gone to Pakistan uninvited after the terrorist attacks in Udhampur and Gurdaspur. Let him also tell the country the reason for inviting the infamous ISI of Pakistan to our strategic Air Base in Pathankot to investigate a terror attack that emanated from Pakistan," he said.

Hitting back at the former PM an hour later, BJP chief Amit Shah questioned why he wasn’t this angry when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi made the “maut ka saudagar” remark against Modi. “Modiji was the CM of Gujarat at the time, which is also a constitutional post. Why didn’t Manmohan Singhji display this much anger then? Where was this anger when Rahul Gandhi tore up a government ordinance (in 2013)?,” Shah said in Gujarat's Gir Somnath. In a series of tweets, Shah also questioned the “loot and plunder under his watch”.