Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that he was hurt by derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the farmers' protest and said that prime minister is not just a person but an institution.
In an interview with , the minister said that people of the country have given their support and affections to the PM Modi who was chief minister of Gujarat for 14 years before assuming the post of Prime Minister six years back.
"Baseless allegations are made. Should this be done? Derogatory remarks should not be made against a prime minister. Prime Minister is not just an individual but an institution. In my political life, I have never used abusive words against any former prime minister. The kind of sloganeering done against the prime minister - 'mar ja, mar ja' this kind of sloganeering. I felt hurt," he said.
He said farmers should keep away people raising derogatory slogans.
He said it is the duty of opposition also to maintain the prestige of post of prime minister.
"The opposition should understand its responsibility. I am no one to advise them but the institutions should be respected. If the institutions are weakened, democracy gets weak," he said.
He said the Prime Minister was serving the poor and marginalised from his heart.
Singh said he has refrained from making any derogatory remarks about any former prime minister.
"Once in my party, there was a remark made about former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh but I had contradicted that remark at that time. I had said that Dr Manmohan Singh is our prime minister and no derogatory remarks should be made against him. I have never used derogatory remarks against any prime minister, whether Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda or anyone."
He said he has always respected institutions, sometimes even going against party interests.
"Till the day I will do politics, I will never break any tradition to criticise an institution," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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