New Delhi: The issue of security lapse in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy in Punjab continued to garner varied responses on Thursday with BJP continuing to attack Congress while the Punjab government pinned the blame on Centre.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur was called off on Wednesday citing a major security lapse. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to the road being blocked by some protesters, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had stated.
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As several developments and responses continued to pour in, here are the 10 major updates in the matter:
- PM Briefs President: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday briefed President Ram Nath Kovind on the security breach that stalled his Punjab visit.
“President Ram Nath Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today and received from him a first-hand account of the security breach in his convoy in Punjab yesterday. The President expressed his concerns about the serious lapse,” the President’s Office tweeted.
- Minister Indicates ‘Tough Decisions’: The government indicated that some big and tough decisions will be taken after the Union Home Ministry gathers information in the matter. In Delhi, Union minister Anurag Thakur said: “The home ministry has also spoken about taking action. After gathering information, whatever steps… big and tough decisions will be taken by it”.
“It is my firm belief that the country’s judicial system does justice to everyone and when such mistakes happen, whatever steps need to be taken will be taken,” he added.
- SC To Hear Plea: The Supreme Court also took note of the matter. The apex court will on Friday hear a plea seeking a thorough investigation into the security breach. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had taken note of senior advocate Maninder Singh’s submission on the issue.
- CM Channi Alleges ‘Gimmick’: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi claimed that what happened in Ferozepur wasn’t a security threat but a “gimmick” aimed at imposing President’s Rule on the state. Taking an aggressive stand at a public meeting in Hoshiarpur’s Tanda, he maintained that the security threat claim was cheap theatrics that did not behove a leader of the PM’s stature, PTI reported.
The Punjab CM continued to claim that PM Modi cancelled his trip because of the thin crowd at the rally venue, and there was a conspiracy to defame the state.
“Yesterday’s gimmick by the PM and his coterie is aimed at imposing President Rule in the state,” he said, as reported by PTI.
- Punjab Govt’s Probe Panel: The Punjab Chief Minister’s remarks came hours after his government announced a two-member committee to conduct a “thorough probe” into the episode. The panel of retired Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma will submit its report in three days.
- Union Cabinet’s Meeting: The Union cabinet reportedly discussed on Thursday the issue of security breach and several ministers expressing concern over the development and seeking “exemplary action” in the matter.
“A number of ministers also felt that there should be exemplary action in the matter, so that such events are never repeated again. They also said that never before has a prime minister’s security been compromised in this manner,” a minister told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
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Sidhu Questions PM Modi: Drawing parallels with the year-long farmers’ movement at Delhi borders, Navjot Singh Sidhu said: “Farmers sat on protest at Delhi borders for over a year, but yesterday when PM had to wait for around 15 minutes he was troubled by it. Why these double standards?”.
“Modi Ji, you had said that you’ll double farmers’ income but you even took away what they had,” the Punjab Congress President alleged.
- In Uttarkashi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commented that if the safety of the prime minister cannot be ensured, “it would be difficult to prevent the disintegration of the country’s democratic institutions”.
- BJP leaders in different parts of the country offered prayers at temples for a long life for the PM. They also posted their wishes and prayers for him on Twitter, using the hashtag “LongLivePMModi”.
- Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) chief Surjit Singh Phool on Thursday said they thought that the district police chief was “bluffing” when he asked them to vacate the road stating that the Prime Minister was on his way to a rally by the same route.
“We initially thought they were bluffing us. The PM will not come. (If he comes) he will come by air as a helipad was set up there,” Phul told reporters, as quoted by PTI. “We never knew that the PM was coming,” he added stating they thought it was a ploy to get the road vacated to allow buses of the BJP workers to pass through for the rally.
(With Agency Inputs)
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