MANMOHAN'S SOS TO VOTERS

In an emotional appeal before the 7th phase of polling on Saturday, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the electorate to make the most of a "final chance to ensure our democracy and Constitution are protected from repeated assault by a despotic regime."

In a three-page open letter, the veteran Congress leader expressed anguish over the "unimaginable turmoil" in the Indian economy over the past decade and flawed policies in the two terms of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP-led National Democratic alliance.

With an eye on the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab that go to polls on June 1, Singh referred to farmers' protests, reproaching the government for having "left no stone unturned in castigating the Punjabis".

"As if the 'lathis' and rubber bullets were not enough, the Prime Minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them 'parasites' on the floor of Parliament," he said.