Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled a vision of “Nawa Punjab” full of opportunities and free of debt, in his address at a massive BJP election rally in Jalandhar.
Urging the people to vote for a double-engine BJP government to ensure the development of the state, PM Modi said, “New Punjab will be a merger of heritage and development. Nawa Punjab will be full of opportunities and free from debt. “
He was referring to the Rs 2.85 lakh crore crushing debt burden of the state that has become a major hurdle to development.
Elaborating his idea of 'Nawan Punjab,' Modi said, “India would only see new horizons if Punjab developed. In Nawan Punjab, there would be peace and tranquility and brotherhood between various castes and communities.”
"If you want to see Punjab progress fast, bring the BJP alliance to power and then watch the state develop with the support of the NDA government at the Centre," he said.
The Prime Minister came down heavily on the ruling Congress, former alliance partner Akali Dal, and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Modi slammed the Congress for its dynastic politics and said that the Gandhi family wanted to run Punjab from Delhi where the three-member family resided.
He praised new alliance partner Captain Amarinder Singh for administering Punjab during his tenure in close cooperation with the centre in the true spirit of federalism as required by the Constitution. "But the Congress created hurdles in the smooth functioning of the state and removed Captain Amarinder Singh from the post of Chief Minister," he said.
He pointed out that the Congress had even raised questions against India’s surgical strikes against Pakistan and had demanded proof of the success, playing into the hands of the enemy. Punjab would, therefore, not be safe under a Congress government, he added.
He said, "the Congress party is disintegrating. Those who fight among themselves cannot give a stable government to Punjab. These people who are busy saving their chairs cannot develop Punjab. Punjab needs a government that works seriously for the security of the country.”
Talking about the BJP’s old alliance partner the Shiromani Akali Dal, Modi said that once Akali Dal was short of a majority and it formed the government with BJP support but it refused to make Manoranjan Kalia the Deputy Chief Minister which was against the principle of natural justice. Badal senior named his son Sukhbir Badal as the Deputy CM instead, he added.
The Prime Minister stressed on the need to uplift the farmers. "If the NDA government is formed the farmers would be helped to adopt diversification of crops."
PM Modi also reminded the people that his government had opened the Kartarpur Sahib corridor for the Sikh pilgrims. And was making a heritage corridor connecting all the historical Sikh religious places.
He lambasted the Congress for honouring those responsible for the 1984 riots while his government formed an SIT and punished the culprits.
Modi disclosed that he wanted to pay obeisance at the Devi Talab Mandir, but the administration expressed its inability to provide security. This is the plight of the Punjab government, he lamented.
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