India faces imminent danger from social disharmony, says ex-PM Manmohan Singh

• Former PM says the country’s situation is “very grim and morose.”
• Singh blames Indian government for the unrest in the country saying social unrest and economic ruin are self-inflicted.
• The Indian government should withdraw or amend the Citizenship Act and bring an end to the volatile situation and foster national unity: Manmohan.

(Karachi) Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has said that India faces imminent danger from social disharmony, economic slowdown and a global health epidemic.

In an article published in The Hindu on Friday, he said the country’s situation is “very grim and morose.”

Singh blamed the Indian government for the unrest in the country saying, “Social unrest and economic ruin are self-inflicted while the health contagion of COVID-19 disease, caused by the novel coronavirus is an external shock.”

He maintained, “I deeply worry that this potent combination of risks may not only rupture the soul of India but also diminish our global standing as an economic and democratic power in the world.”

The former premier remarked, “Institutions of law and order have abandoned their dharma to protect citizens. Institutions of justice and the fourth pillar of democracy, the media, have also failed us.”

He added the fire of social tensions is rapidly spreading across the nation and threatens to char the soul of our nation and said it can only be extinguished by those that lit it.

Manmohan Singh elaborated, “Just in a matter of few years, India has slid rapidly from being a global showcase of a model of economic development through liberal democratic methods to a strife ridden majoritarian state in economic despair.”

Regarding the coronavirus epidemic, he said there is an immediate need to take measures to address the crisis.

He also demanded the Indian government to withdraw or amend the Citizenship Act and bring an end to the volatile situation and foster national unity.