As 1.54 crore voters in Bengal and Assam prepared to vote on Saturday, a sane voice issued an appeal: “You must vote for a government that upholds the Constitution of India and the principles of democracy. You must vote for a government that will care for every citizen, for every community.”

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the appeal to the voters of Assam, which he had represented in the Rajya Sabha for 28 years. But the crux of his message applies also to Bengal, where the BJP is mounting an unparalleled effort at forming the government in a state that has so far remained out of its reach.

“Society is being divided on the basis of religion, culture and language. The basic rights of the common man are being denied. There is an atmosphere of tension and of fear,” Singh said in a message intended for voters in the northeastern state but which should strike a chord in Bengal where attempts have been made to polarise the electorate.

Polling will be held in 30 of the 294 seats in the first of eight phases in Bengal on Saturday, covering an electorate totalling 73 lakh. In Assam, 47 of the 126 seats are scheduled to go to polls on Saturday.

Singh, who has stopped even his occasional visits to election-bound states for campaigning because of advanced age, issued the appeal over video to the voters of Assam.

The former Prime Minister also spoke of the everyday crises plaguing the country. “Ill-conceived notebandi (demonetisation) and badly implemented GST have weakened the economy. Lakhs of men and women have lost their livelihoods. The youth are desperate for decent jobs. Rise in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas is making life difficult for the common man. The poor are becoming poorer. And Covid-19 is making matters much worse,” the economist said.

Singh’s comments came at a time the Narendra Modi government has sought to lay the entire blame for the economic mess on the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Expressing gratitude to Assam for his parliamentary stint, Singh listed the yardsticks that should decide their vote and added: “You must vote for a government that will ensure inclusive growth.” You must vote for a government that will put Assam once again on the path of peace and development.”

While Singh’s video message was being uploaded, his successor, Prime Minister Modi, sent many in the country on a fact-finding mission online.

Addressing events to mark the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence and the birth centenary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Modi, who took care to wear a Mujib Jacket, said in Dhaka: “I must have been 20-22 years old when I and my colleagues did satyagraha for Bangladesh’s freedom.”

Going by the memes the claim evoked, it appeared that not many Indians were familiar with this particular phase in Modi’s public life. Old-timers said Modi could have meant a Jan Sangh rally in front of Parliament in August 1971.

Singh, who recalled his long association with veterans like Hiteswar Saikia and Tarun Gogoi, said: “The Congress is committed to protect the unique language, culture and history of Assam, and to ensure the well-being of all communities. It has prepared a ‘Jan Manifesto (people’s manifesto)’, with promises that are practical. As a measure of its determination, it has also announced five ‘guarantees’ to the people, including non-implementation of the CAA, jobs to 30 lakh unemployed youths, Rs 365 as daily wage to tea workers, free electricity up to 200 units to very household and Rs 2,000 per month to every housewife under the ‘Grihani Samman’ scheme.”

While Singh used to at least visit states for holding a media conference till a few years ago, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has completely stopped participating in election campaigns. The entire burden of the Congress campaign has fallen on Rahul Gandhi even if he doesn’t hold any position in the party.

In this round of Assembly elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too has campaigned in Assam and is likely to visit Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well. But few among the other leaders are in demand among the candidates for campaigning.