Jalandhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday slammed Congress during his Punjab campaign saying it removed Captain Amarinder Singh since it could not run the government with "remote control". Modi was addressing his first public rally in Jalandhar ahead of Punjab assembly elections on February 20.
"Congress removed former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh when it couldn't run govt with remote control," the PM said as he attacked the ruling dispensation and said that during the 2014 elections, his helicopter was stalled in Pathankot by Congress because "Yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) was going to visit another corner of Punjab". The Centre, he said, respected federalism when Amarinder Singh was the CM of Punjab and that he worked with the Centre "according to federalism".
Modi also accused the Punjab government of stopping him from offering prayers at Tripurmalini Devi Shaktipeeth. "I wanted to offer prayers at Tripurmalini Devi Shaktipeeth after this event but the administration and police said they will not be able to make the arrangements. This is the situation of government here. But I will surely offer prayers at Shaktipeeth soon."
PM Modi promised a "debt-free" Punjab if BJP was voted to power in the state and that 23 lakh Punjab farmers are currently getting PM Kisan payment directly in their accounts, due to the BJP-led government at the centre. On the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the PM said that the Centre has initiated a SIT probe on the anti-Sikh riots but all the Congress has done is to give top positions in the party to the accused in the riots.
Targeting the Akali Dal for the first time during this election, PM Modi said that BJP had always accepted the small role given by the former in the past. However, when the Akali Dal did not have a majority, the right thing to do would have been to give the deputy CM post to BJP, Modi said referring to the time when Badal made his son the CM while BJP had the majority. "We had more MLAs, the government could have fallen. But, for the betterment of Punjab, we did not commit the sin," he added.
Attacking the AAP, Modi said that BJP contests elections based on the work the party did in past, but that some people are trying to win elections based on lies. He also said that people who are experts in opening liquor shops in mohallas are the ones talking about making Punjab "drug-free".
The BJP is contesting the elections to the 117-member Punjab assembly in alliance with the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). On January 5, the prime minister had to return from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally, after his convoy got stuck on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur.
