Union home minister Amit Shah raised the issue of national security and hailed the valour of Punjabis, especially Sikhs, as he addressed back-to-back rallies at Ludhiana, Amritsar and Patiala in poll-bound Punjab on Sunday.
In Ludhiana, Shah trained his guns on Congress’s chief ministerial face Charanjit Singh Channi, saying the latter would not be able to ensure the state’s security when he could not even keep the PM secure. “Channi is dreaming of becoming the CM again, but when he cannot provide security to the PM, then what about the security of other residents?” said Shah, speaking at a rally in Ludhiana’s Daresi Ground.
In Patiala, Shah said he saluted the valour of Punjabis in safeguarding the nation. The Union minister also hit out at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, saying he would release all terrorists if he came to power because he had nothing to do with security.
Addressing the gathering in Ludhiana, Shah said, “We have to run a government, not a comedy show. Channi should not be given a chance again. Kejriwal does vote politics only and he has nothing to do with welfare of state.”
hah claimed that under the Congress-led UPA government, terrorists came from Pakistan to kill soldiers. “When PM Modi came to power, they tried to do it in Uri and Pulwama, but they got a befitting reply in the form of surgical strikes. Only NDA government can provide security to this state,” he said.
Previously, the BJP government had been in power in Punjab in alliance with SAD from 2007 to 2017. Shah also touched the issue of drugs. “We will wipe out drugs as we will establish Narcotics Control Bureau (offices) in four districts. Kejriwal also talks about curbing drugs, but how will he fulfil this claim when he has opened so many liquor vends in Delhi,” said Shah.
Shah said Kejriwal’s government in Delhi had done nothing for Sikhs in eight years. “Sikhs’ contribution to Delhi is immense, but Kejriwal never acknowledged it,” said Shah, while speaking in Patiala.
Shah said PM Narendra Modi had “special fondness” for Punjab and Sikhs. “Modiji had taken several measures, like punishing the culprits of anti-Sikh riots, opening of Kartarpur corridor, naming December 26 as Veer Baal Diwas in memory of younger Sahibzadas, and removing 312 of the 314 Sikh names from the blacklist,” he said. The blacklist in this contest is an unofficial listing of Sikhs who were believed to be involved in the Khalistani movement and left Punjab seeking political asylum in foreign countries after 1984.
