Ahead of a US military aircraft arriving in Amritsar tonight with 119 deported Indians, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP government of targeting the state over its electoral loss while failing to address its concerns.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should explain why he remained silent on his own citizens in front of his friend Donald Trump.
“The BJP should not defame Punjab or Punjabis, nor should it take out its anger on the people just because they did not vote for the party. This country is a democracy, and good work should be done here. Are such actions considered good? How will they (BJP) face the people in 2027? Will they say that they sent deported Indians to Punjab?” questioned Mann while talking to reporters.
He said it was happening at a time when Modi was embracing the same Trump under whose watch Indians were being deported on a US military aircraft. “Is this the gift Modi ji is bringing back?” he asked.
He said many leaders from Punjab brought animals from Pakistan, but many Punjabis have been in its jails, and their plight should be addressed.
{{/usCountry}}He said many leaders from Punjab brought animals from Pakistan, but many Punjabis have been in its jails, and their plight should be addressed.
{{/usCountry}}"Earlier, our Captain Sahib (Amarinder Singh) went to Pakistan and brought horses. Before that, Badal Sahib went and brought sheep. They might still have them at his home. The reality is that many Punjabis are still imprisoned in Pakistani jails, and their plight should also be discussed.
Bhagwant also added that Prime Minister Modi said that India will accept those deported from the US, but at least do it in a respectful manner.
“The government could have sent an Air India plane and brought the Indians back,” said Mann.
In the second round of deportations as part of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, 119 illegal Indian immigrants are set to land at Punjab's Amritsar International Airport in an American military aircraft on Saturday.