PM Modi didn't question Manmohan Singh's commitment to nation, clarifies Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha

The stalemate between government and Opposition over Prime Minister Modi's "colluding with Pakistan" accusations against his predecessor Manmohan Singh, ended on Wednesday after Union minister Arun Jaitley's clarification on the issue.

Jaitley in Rajya Sabha clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t question former PM Manmohan Singh’s commitment to the country when he made those remarks and added that the BJP holds Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari "in high esteem".

"PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari, any such perception is erroneous, we hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India," Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition has been demanding an apology from PM Modi over his remarks against Manmohan Singh.

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PM Modi, while campaigning in Gujarat earlier this month, accused Congress leaders, including Manmohan Singh, of holding a ‘secret meeting’ with a former Pakistan minister and diplomats in order to ensure that BJP defeat in the Assembly elections in the state. 

He alleged that Pakistan's high commissioner, its former foreign minister, former PM Singh, and former Vice-President Ansari attended the "three-hour secret meeting" 

PM Modi’s remarks drew sharp reaction from Singh, who criticised him for allegedly spreading "falsehood and canards" to "score political points in a lost cause."