The Congress party presided over the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 (in the riots that followed then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s killing) , while the Bharatiya Janata Party has always stood by the community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a virtual election rally for the upcoming Punjab election on Tuesday.
“Congress massacred Sikhs but we punished the culprits of the genocide,” Modi said his first virtual Fateh Rally in the run-up to the February 20 assembly elections. “Congress could not even keep Kartarpur in India, but we opened the road to the holy shrine.” Kartarpur, where the progenitor of the Sikh religion Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life, is in Pakistan, and the Modi government facilitated the opening of a Kartarpur corridor to allow Sikh pilgrims travel there.
The BJP and its allies have spread the message of Sikh traditions across the world, he asserted.
“To work for Punjabis and Sikh traditions have always been the National Democratic Alliance’s motive. Few people will always be seen standing against the Sikhs and Sikh traditions. For them, Punjab has only remained a place to rule. To ensure their rule, these people tried all conspiracies,” Modi said. “They pushed Punjab into terrorism, but we tried to spread the message of Sikh traditions across the globe.”
The Prime Minister also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party, which is considered by many to be a serious contender in the polls, while talking about the problem of drugs in the state.
“I especially appeal to Punjab’s daughters and mothers...the drug problem that has ruined you and your houses, because of which you are worried and the problem from which you want to free Punjab, was strongly raised during the last assembly elections but was lost after that.” He added: “They could not help you here and have brought this problem to the youngsters of Delhi,” Modi said, obliquely referring to the AAP, which is the ruling party in the Union Territory.
“These people have arrived here again and are asking for votes by talking sweet. Punjab needs to be aware of such people. Punjab doesn’t need white lies,” Modi said. “It needs the strong intent of the NDA to develop Punjab with a double-engine government.”
{{/usCountry}}“These people have arrived here again and are asking for votes by talking sweet. Punjab needs to be aware of such people. Punjab doesn’t need white lies,” Modi said. “It needs the strong intent of the NDA to develop Punjab with a double-engine government.”
{{/usCountry}}The “double-engine” a reference to the same party ruling a province as well as the Centre has been the talking point of the BJP in all state elections.
“Those who are claiming they will develop jhuggi-jhopdis (slums) of Delhi can’t do it,” said Modi, taking another swipe at the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi.
Leader of Opposition, Punjab, Harpal Cheema said Modi targeting AAP on drug issue is apt example how the target of Sukhbir-Amarinder-BJP trioka is only AAP.
“Can Modi reply who asked Enforcement Directorate (ED) to stop probe into drug case in which former Akali Minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s role was under scanner,” asked Cheema.
“Development of Punjab cannot be done by a party that wasted its energy attacking Captain Sahib (former Congress chief minister Amarinder Singh) during the Covid pandemic. A party that failed to control the situation in Delhi cannot develop Punjab,” Modi said.
Amarinder Singh s quit the Congress and floated the Punjab Lok Congress, which has entered into a pact with the BJP to jointly contest the state polls.
Modi said the BJP’s goal is to create a nawan (new) Punjab and the party has the vision and a track record of good work. He said the NDA government will work towards stopping the cross-border supply of drugs and weapons.
A border area development authority will be formed and ₹1 lakh crore will be spent in the next five years for infrastructure development in Punjab, Modi promised.
“The farmers of Punjab need modern cold storages, food parks and food-processing industries. They need the best connectivity to export their produce. Our double-engine government will work faster in all these areas,” he said.
Punjab’s farmers were among those who were part of the 14-month long protest against three farm laws passed by the Modi government in 2020 and repealed late last year.