Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday tore into Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for his remark on ‘bhaiyas’ from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, reminding him that Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Ravidas too were born outside Punjab.
Addressing a rally in Punjab’s Abohar ahead of elections on February 20, PM Modi also hit out at Congress leader and UP incharge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was seen cheering Channi as he made the controversial statement.
“What the Congress Chief Minister said here the entire country has seen. The family from Delhi is his maalik (boss), that maalik was standing next to him, clapping,” the prime minister said.
He added: “Where was Guru Gobind Singh born? In Patna Sahib, in Bihar. Will you throw Guru Govind Singh out of Punjab? People of such divisive mentality should not be allowed to rule Punjab even for one moment.”
The prime minister also used the opportunity to remind Channi of Guru Ravidas, a Dalit icon whose birth anniversary on Wednesday saw various political leaders visiting temples dedicated to him to pay obeisance.
“Only yesterday we observed Sant Ravidas Jayanti. Where was he born? In Uttar Pradesh, in Varanasi. Will you remove Sant Ravidas from Punjab?” asked the PM.
Channi triggered a row on Wednesday when he said: “Priyanka Gandhi is Punjab’s daughter-in-law, she is the bahu of Punjabis. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi ke bhaiye cannot come here and rule. We will not allow UP bhaiyas to stray into Punjab.”
His remark did not go down well with opposition leaders, with several parties calling him out for insulting the migrant population of the state. Priyanka Gandhi, who was seen laughing and clapping, also faced flak for portraying herself as “UP ki Beti” while supporting “divisive” statements.
PM Modi also accused the Congress of betraying farmers and said it was the BJP government which made record purchase of grains. He urged voters to bring the BJP-led alliance to power in the state for its all-round development.
Referring to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report, he said that it was his government which implemented them. “History is witness that Congress has always betrayed farmers,” Modi said.
“There was a demand for implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report for several years but they continued to sit on the file. Congress governments only spoke lies,” he said. Modi said when his government was formed at the Centre, it implemented the recommendations of the commission.
He said it was in his government’s time that there was a record purchase of food grains. Attacking the Congress government in Punjab, Modi said each trade is captured by the mafia in the state.
He also said that because of the Congress government’s policies, nobody was ready to make investments in Punjab. In entire Punjab, one voice is coming out and that is to make the BJP-led alliance victorious and form a double engine government, the prime minister said.
“Double engine government means speedy progress. It means weeding out sand mafia and drug mafia from the state. The double engine government means flourishing of trade, giving jobs and creating new avenues of self-employment,” Modi said. “Give one chance to us, give me five years and then see how the double engine government takes Punjab on a speedy path of development,” he said.
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