Tearing into Singh, who had during the Winter Session called Prime Minister’s demonetisation “monumental mismanagement” and “organized loot and legalized plunder”, Modi said the former PM knew “the art of bathing in a bathroom with a raincoat on”, a dig at the Teflon coating that shielded Singh from all taint amid widespread corruption and financial scandals.
“In the past 35 years, Dr Singh was directly involved in the decision-making on the country’s economy,” said the PM, hinting at Manmohan’s earlier stints as RBI governor and Union finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao cabinet. “Very few people can claim to have influenced our economy at the top level for nearly half of independent India’s history,” said Modi, adding that though there were several cases of graft during this period, not a single spot could be found on Singh.
“Bathroom me raincoat pehen kar nahana…Yeh kala to doctor sahab hi jante hain, aur koi nahin janta (taking a bath while wearing a raincoat… only doctor sahab knows this art, none else),” he said.
The Congress staged a walkout in protest and amid a plethora of outraged reactions, Kapil Sibal said the prime minister was arrogant and he had scant regard for the dignity his chair demands. “He should know that he is everybody’s PM, including ours.”
