Hours after slamming the National Democratic Alliance government, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two discussed issues related to the economy and foreign policy.
Singh, a senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member, went to the 7 Race Course Road residence of the PM to meet him.
“Very happy to meet Dr Manmohan Singh ji & welcome him back to 7RCR. We had a great meeting,” Modi tweeted later along with their photographs.
In a statement, Singh’s office said the former PM met Modi at the latter’s “invitation” and “they discussed the economic situation in the country and foreign policy issues.”
Sources close to Singh said that Modi had sent a message on Tuesday morning, expressing desire to meet his predecessor over tea sometime in the evening on Tuesday. This could not fructify and the meeting was scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Congress leader Anand Sharma also said that the meeting took place at the behest of the PM who wanted to discuss issues related to economy and foreign policy.
They discussed economic and foreign policy issues, he said about the meeting which took place at 6.30 pm.
Earlier in the day, Singh hit out at the Modi government saying the “very idea of India is now under systemic assault”.
In a scathing attack, Singh alleged that institutions of democracy are under threat and the entire edifice of the welfare state is being dismantled in the guise of promoting faster economic growth.
Asserting that India was the second fastest growing economy in the world during his tenure, the former PM said there was a “fragileness” in economic recovery under the current dispensation.