Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi for making the remark against “UP, Bihar ke bhaiye” as Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cheered him on, saying there isn’t a single village in the state where migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar do not work.
Also read: ‘Clarify masquerader’: Sidhu after Vishwas’s ‘separatist’ allegation on Kejriwal
Addressing his third and final rally in the border constituency of Abohar in Fazilka district before Punjab goes to the polls on Sunday, Modi said: “The Congress always pits people of a region against others. Congress CM Channi gave a statement that was applauded by a member of a family in Delhi. Who are they insulting? There is not one village here where people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar don’t work.”
Lashing out at the Congress leadership, Modi said the remark was against the teachings of Sant Ravidas and 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh. “Is it not an insult to the two spiritual leaders who were born in Kashi (UP) and Patna (Bihar)? The statement of the Punjab CM undermines the message of humanity given by the two revered personalities,” he said.
Abohar is the heartland of the Hindi-speaking belt in Punjab, where BJP legislator Arun Narang is hoping to retain the seat.
{{/usCountry}}Abohar is the heartland of the Hindi-speaking belt in Punjab, where BJP legislator Arun Narang is hoping to retain the seat.
{{/usCountry}}Narang could not attend the rally as he had tested positive, the PM said.
Says Congress sat on Swaminathan recommendations
He went on to accuse the Congress of betraying farmers by not implementing the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
“History is witness to the fact that the Congress has always betrayed farmers. There was a long-pending demand to implement recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. They sat on those files and kept lying. When we formed our government at the Centre, we implemented those recommendations,” Modi said.
He said Punjab needed a government that drew inspiration from patriotism and worked for the development of the state. “The BJP has come before you with dedication, with the resolve of security and development of Punjab,” he said.
To woo the Bishnoi community that has a sizeable population in Abohar and the adjoining segments in Fazilka district, Modi expressed reverence to their spiritual founder Guru Jambeshwar. “Bishnois’ commitment to protect the environment and wildlife is laudable,” he said.
Modi appealed to voters to give the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) one chance under his command in Punjab to give the state a new lease of life.
AAP, Congress lack patriotism: PM
Slamming AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on the charges levelled by poet and one of the founding members of the AAP, Kumar Vishwas, alleging that the Delhi CM wanted to be “either the Punjab CM or the PM of Khalistan”.
“We believe in ‘nation first’, whereas the Congress and its new ‘partner in crime’, AAP, lack patriotism. They question even the surgical strikes and bringing more area to the Border Security Force (BSF) for better guarding of borders. Such parties do not deserve to form the next government,” he said.
Modi said the AAP had not inducted any Sikh or Punjabi-speaking MLA in the cabinet and now they want to take political power of Punjab.
Raking the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, he said “Log jante hain ki bhukamp kahan se aaya tha,” referring to the perpetrators and those instigated public sentiment for the incidents. “Chun-chun ke badla lena hai inke gunahaon ka,” he said.
In his 42-minute address, Modi referred to welfare and development schemes, including mass Covid-19 vaccination drive and distribution of free ration to the underprivileged during the pandemic.
He said the popular sentiment of the Punjab was in favour of the BJP and the party should be a given a chance to form the next government.
Modi said the BJP has a vision to boost agriculture in Punjab and stop exodus of industries and migration of youth.
Centenarian ex-MLA is special invitee
A 100-year-old former MLA of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh Sahi Ram Bishnoi was invited specially for Thursday’s event in Abohar to meet the PM. Bishnoi was elected from Abohar in undivided Punjab in 1957. Bishnoi is the oldest living elected representative of Punjab.