Mumbai, September 4: Shiv Sena, the ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, has backed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's criticism of economic handling. In an editorial published in the party's mouthpiece Saamna, Sena asked the Narendra Modi government to pay heed to the ex-PM's advice. The critical remarks against the Centre comes two days after Singh issued a statement, claiming that economic slowdown will be "prolonged" considering the 5 per cent growth registered in the first quarter of this financial year. Manmohan Singh Blames 'Mismanagement' by Modi Government For Economic Slowdown

The Saamna editorial, whose content is either authored by party chief Uddhav Thackeray or written as per his direction, said the government should not politicise Singh's remarks. His expertise should be sought and a collective strategy must be formulated to tackle the economic crisis, Sena added.

The party further warned the central government that if the economic slowdown continues to be neglected, it may result in massive job losses, cutting across all sectors.

"National interest lies in listening to Manmohan Singh's advice. There should be no politics around the economic slowdown. Kashmir and economic slowdown are two different issues. The economy is in doldrums," the party said.

Singh, in a video message issued on Sunday, said the 5 per cent growth registered in Q1 of FY 2019-20 is "deeply worrying". The numbers indicated that "we are in the midst of a prolonged slowdown".

The Congress veteran's claim was rebutted by the Centre, with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar alleging that Singh is fueling anxiety by projecting the slowdown way beyond proportion. "We do not subscribe to what Manmohan Singh has analysed...India was 11th (largest) economy of the world. Now it is fifth and we are marching to be third," Javadekar said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 04, 2019 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).