TANDA (HOSHIARPUR)/LUDHIANA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s “life threat” gimmick was aimed at toppling the democratically elected government in the state, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Channi said in Tanda while addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of development works worth Rs 18 crore in the constituency on Thursday. He also denied any threat to Modi’s life during his visit to Punjab on Wednesday, saying he cancelled his programme as there was thin presence of people at the BJP rally.
“Only empty red chairs were visible, which showed his unpopularity in the state. He went back to the national capital citing a frivolous reason of security threat. The false pretext on which the PM cancelled his visit is a part of larger conspiracy to defame Punjab and murder democracy in the state on lines of what was done earlier in Jammu and Kashmir,” Channi said.
“Yesterday’s gimmick by the PM and his coterie is aimed at imposing the President’s rule in the state. Please stop defaming the state and its people for vested political interests. Slanderous campaign launched by BJP is an insult to all Punjabis, which is unwarranted and undesirable,” he said.
How can the life of the PM be threatened if protesters were more than a kilometre away from him, he asked. When not a slogan was raised against him at the place his cavalcade stopped, then how his life was threatened, he quipped. “PM is a respected leader of the nation but it doesn’t behoove one of his stature to indulge in such cheap theatricals. Thin presence of public at the rally has exposed the poor position of BJP in the state which is not going down well with its entire leadership,” he said.
Drawing a comparison, the CM added, “Weather was poor yesterday and is poor today too. But there were few takers for BJP’s rally on Wednesday whereas today’s Congress rallies across the state are swelling with people.”
Channi also attacked former chief minister Amarinder Singh, saying he was now just a “political deadwood” as was evident from the fact that he addressed empty chairs in a rally on Wednesday. He said as everyone knew that Amarinder backstabbed Punjab, no one wanted to listen to him. “The day is not far when all the Maharaja’s all candidates will lose their deposits in poll,” he said.
At a rally in Ludhiana’s Macchiwara, Channi said, “We cannot tolerate that, when there was no kind of danger to the PM, he used “main live wapas ja raha hun (I am going back alive)” words. Actually, when he came to know that the entire venue of his rally was empty and no one had turned up to listen to him, he made this excuse, that he was stopped on the road and his life endangered. For about five days, SPG was camping in Punjab and took control of all the affairs. When they decided everything, then how is the Punjab government to be blamed? Neither any farmer nor any Punjabi came near the PM (when his convoy was stuck)… then what kind of danger was he facing that he had to say ‘Tell your CM, I am going back alive’. There was no laxity on our part.”
Continuing his tirade, Channi added, “Why in the first place did he decide to go by road to the rally when it was planned by his security detail that he will use a helicopter… he cooked up this excuse… defamed Punjab, Punjabis and Punjab government. He can defame me but I will never tolerate the same for Punjabis and I will never use canes or bullets on them on someone’s insistence. People of Punjab have sacrificed their lives for the country and no one can be as nationalist as we are. In case there is any danger to the life of our PM, Punjab’s CM will be the first to take a bullet in his chest but will never let anything happen to him (PM).”
‘It would ve been another Bargari, had we opened fire’
At the Tanda rally, the CM said he could not open fire or do lathitcharge on his people. “Had we opened fire, it would have been another Bargari (referring to Behbal Kalan firing), which I can never allow,” he said.
“Only empty red chairs were visible, which showed his unpopularity in the state. He went back to the national capital citing a frivolous reason of security threat. The false pretext on which the PM cancelled his visit is a part of larger conspiracy to defame Punjab and murder democracy in the state on lines of what was done earlier in Jammu and Kashmir,” Channi said.
“Yesterday’s gimmick by the PM and his coterie is aimed at imposing the President’s rule in the state. Please stop defaming the state and its people for vested political interests. Slanderous campaign launched by BJP is an insult to all Punjabis, which is unwarranted and undesirable,” he said.
How can the life of the PM be threatened if protesters were more than a kilometre away from him, he asked. When not a slogan was raised against him at the place his cavalcade stopped, then how his life was threatened, he quipped. “PM is a respected leader of the nation but it doesn’t behoove one of his stature to indulge in such cheap theatricals. Thin presence of public at the rally has exposed the poor position of BJP in the state which is not going down well with its entire leadership,” he said.
Drawing a comparison, the CM added, “Weather was poor yesterday and is poor today too. But there were few takers for BJP’s rally on Wednesday whereas today’s Congress rallies across the state are swelling with people.”
Channi also attacked former chief minister Amarinder Singh, saying he was now just a “political deadwood” as was evident from the fact that he addressed empty chairs in a rally on Wednesday. He said as everyone knew that Amarinder backstabbed Punjab, no one wanted to listen to him. “The day is not far when all the Maharaja’s all candidates will lose their deposits in poll,” he said.
At a rally in Ludhiana’s Macchiwara, Channi said, “We cannot tolerate that, when there was no kind of danger to the PM, he used “main live wapas ja raha hun (I am going back alive)” words. Actually, when he came to know that the entire venue of his rally was empty and no one had turned up to listen to him, he made this excuse, that he was stopped on the road and his life endangered. For about five days, SPG was camping in Punjab and took control of all the affairs. When they decided everything, then how is the Punjab government to be blamed? Neither any farmer nor any Punjabi came near the PM (when his convoy was stuck)… then what kind of danger was he facing that he had to say ‘Tell your CM, I am going back alive’. There was no laxity on our part.”
Continuing his tirade, Channi added, “Why in the first place did he decide to go by road to the rally when it was planned by his security detail that he will use a helicopter… he cooked up this excuse… defamed Punjab, Punjabis and Punjab government. He can defame me but I will never tolerate the same for Punjabis and I will never use canes or bullets on them on someone’s insistence. People of Punjab have sacrificed their lives for the country and no one can be as nationalist as we are. In case there is any danger to the life of our PM, Punjab’s CM will be the first to take a bullet in his chest but will never let anything happen to him (PM).”
‘It would ve been another Bargari, had we opened fire’
At the Tanda rally, the CM said he could not open fire or do lathitcharge on his people. “Had we opened fire, it would have been another Bargari (referring to Behbal Kalan firing), which I can never allow,” he said.
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