Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has criticised the Narendra Modi government days after the Supreme Court upheld the CBI’s clean chit to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the coal block allocation case.
In an article published in The Indian Express, Gandhi said Singh’s record of honesty, integrity and accountability stood in stark contrast to the functioning of the Modi government. She said history would remember Singh as one of India’s calmest, simplest and most effective prime ministers.
Sonia Gandhi asks Modi to ‘forgive himself’
Gandhi referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks about “forgiving” students who allegedly attacked him, and said he should similarly “forgive himself” for what she called his “undignified slander” of Manmohan Singh.
She said the Supreme Court’s decision had brought an end to what she described as one of the most tragic periods in India’s public discourse—a campaign against a leader of “extraordinary integrity and character”.
According to Gandhi, the campaign against Singh was “well-planned and organised” and involved sections of the bureaucracy, media, judiciary and civil society, along with the RSS and BJP. She claimed the allegations against Singh had now been proved false and that he had been cleared in every case.
Gandhi calls July 29 verdict significant
Gandhi described July 29, 2026, as an important but overlooked day in India’s recent political history. On that day, the Supreme Court upheld the CBI’s closure report giving Singh a clean chit in the alleged coal block allocation scam.
She said the Supreme Court also criticised the trial court for rejecting the CBI’s closure report and making adverse observations against Singh without “concrete reason”.
Gandhi alleged that investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and CBI were being misused by the Modi government to pressure political leaders.
She further alleged that leaders facing corruption allegations were sometimes targeted while in opposition but were treated differently after joining the BJP.
Sonia Gandhi recalls Modi’s 2017 ‘raincoat’ remark
Gandhi also referred to Modi’s controversial 2017 remark in the Rajya Sabha about Manmohan Singh, in which the Prime Minister had said that Singh knew the “art of bathing while wearing a raincoat”.
She described the remark as “crude and highly objectionable” and said it would be remembered as one of the lowest points in India’s parliamentary history.
Gandhi argued that the criticism of Singh had been an attempt to divert public attention from his government’s record.
Lists achievements of Manmohan Singh government
Gandhi highlighted several initiatives and achievements of the UPA government under Singh, including economic growth, poverty reduction, the Right to Education Act, OBC reservations in centrally funded higher educational institutions, the Forest Rights Act, MGNREGA and the National Food Security Act.
She said India demonstrated economic resilience during the 2008 global financial crisis and claimed that economic growth during the 10 years of the UPA government was higher than during the subsequent 12 years, despite changes in the method of calculating GDP.
Gandhi also credited Singh’s government with the India-US civil nuclear agreement, saying it ended decades of nuclear sanctions and discrimination against India and helped the country gain greater access to the global nuclear order.
‘Students had freedom to protest’
Gandhi said civil society had emerged as an influential force during the UPA years and claimed students could protest against the government and Prime Minister without fear of violent repression.
She also said Singh remained accountable to Parliament and the media and held more than 100 impromptu press conferences during his tenure.
‘History will remember him with respect’
Gandhi said the allegations made against Singh’s integrity had ultimately proved to be “hollow”.
She said Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister was increasingly being recognised as a period of significant economic, political and social progress.
Gandhi also expressed regret that Singh was not alive to witness the Supreme Court decision. Manmohan Singh died on December 27, 2024, aged 92.
She concluded that history would remember Singh with respect as one of India’s “calmest, simplest and most effective” prime ministers.
