Manmohan lashed out against Modi after being nudged by Sonia Gandhi
It was his second speech in Parliament in the last two-and-a-half years, but one that was made with telling effect. His brief five-minute intervention had the entire House, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, listening with rapt attention.
Dr Manmohan Singh has deliberately chosen to maintain a low profile and has refrained from wading into the political battles that are fought almost on a daily basis in Parliament, much to the chagrin of some of his partymen.
His rationale has always been that being a former PM he needs to remain above the fray. On Thursday, he broke his self-imposed silence, but not without a little prodding from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
While Dr Singh has been conspicuous by his absence from the demonstrations staged by the Opposition in Parliament, he has been quite critical of the government's demonetisation move in party meetings. Sensing his mood, Sonia reportedly encouraged him to speak his mind, which he finally did to good effect in the Rajya Sabha.
Dr Singh has for most parts in his political career shunned the spotlight, often even when he was Prime Minister. But in the course of his brief five-minute intervention he stole the thunder.
He is perhaps the only person in the country who has been the RBI governor, economic adviser, finance minister and the Prime Minister. Using his experience in the government and his knowledge of the subject, he delivered what many in the Congress consider to be his best speech in the last few years.
He called the government's handling of the demonetisation move "monumental mismanagement" and warned that the decision could have "disastrous effects". He sounded a grim warning to those patting themselves on the back for this decision, pointing out that India's GDP will fall by "at least 2 per cent".
His next line had the entire opposition benches on their feet, cheering him loudly. Looking directly at PM Narendra Modi, he delivered his punchline - "this is organised loot and legalised plunder".