Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India is facing the imminent threat of social disharmony, economic slowdown and an epidemic on global health.
He claimed in an article published on Friday in The Hindu that the situation in the country is “very grim and morose.”
Singh blamed the Indian government for the country’s instability, saying, “Social unrest and economic ruin are self-inflicted while COVID-19 disease health contagion, triggered by the novel coronavirus, is an external shock.”
He maintained, “I am deeply concerned that this powerful combination of risks might not only break India’s existence, but also undermine our global position as the world’s economic and democratic force.”
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.”
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.”
With regard to the coronavirus epidemic, he said there is an urgent need to take steps to tackle the crisis.
He also demanded that the Indian government revoke or amend the Citizenship Act and put an end to the volatile situation and promote national unity.
