Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders have written to President Ram Nath Kovind, asking him to caution Prime Minister Narendra Modi from “using unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language”, reported ANI on Monday.

The letter is in reference to Modi’s speech in Karnataka’s Hubballi town on May 6 ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, reported Times Now. The Congress leaders said in the letter, “It is unthinkable that in our democratic polity, the Prime Minister as head of the government would utter words which are threatening, intimidating in content and a public warning to the leaders of members of the main opposition party, the Congress”, according to NDTV.

It was signed by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Motilal Vora, Mallikarjun Kharge, Karan Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Kamal Nath, Ambika Soni, Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh and others.

The threat held by the Prime Minister to the INC’s leadership deserves to be condemned. This cannot be the language of the Prime Minister of a constitutionally governed country of 1.3 Billion people. Such discourse whether in public or private is unacceptable conduct. The words used are menacing and intimidating with intent to insult and provoke breach of the peace. 

Admittedly, the Prime Minister is not expected to use menacing language even in the course of election campaign which tantamounts to using his powers and privileges as the Prime Minister to settle personal and political scores.

— From the letter written by Congress leaders to President Ram Nath Kovind