Former PM Manmohan Singh presided over 'most corrupt' government, made Indians poorer: BJP

New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh not only presided over the "most corrupt" government in India's history but also made Indians poorer during his term, the BJP alleged on Wednesday.

On the contrary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made Indians "richer", BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X.

"This is Dr Singh's and the Congress' abiding legacy," he alleged.

The BJP's remarks against Singh came on a day he retired from the Rajya Sabha after 33 years.

"Dr Manmohan Singh, former prime minister, retired from the Rajya Sabha after 33 years. He held the top job between 2004-14. During his tenure as prime minister, Dr Singh, who is hailed as an erudite economist, made India poor," Malviya said.

Citing International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, the BJP leader said India's per capita GDP as percentage of developing countries, including China, reduced from 35 per cent to 30 per cent.

"Earlier, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had raised it from 30 per cent to 35 per cent (1998-2004). Now, Prime Minister Modi has again pulled it back, and has raised it from 30 per cent to 42 per cent (2014-24)," he said.

Not only did Manmohan Singh preside over "the most corrupt government in independent India's history, (but) he also made Indians poorer", the BJP leader said. "On the contrary, PM Vajpayee and Modi made Indians richer," Malviya said.

This is the abiding legacy of Singh and that of the Congress-led UPA government (2004-14) when "Sonia Gandhi was the super PM", he alleged.