 "Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses during the FICCI Annual Convention & 94th Annual General Meeting on the theme ‘India Beyond 75', in New Delhi (Photo: PTI)")
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said only the BJP-led alliance can secure Punjab, uproot drug menace from the state and stop illegal religious conversions, even as he made a sharp attack against Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Shah, in his first public rally for the February 20 state assembly polls, hit out at the Congress over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and accused Congress leaders of being involved in killing of Sikhs in Delhi.
He also raised the issue of religious conversion of Sikhs and Hindus in the state and lambasted the Channi-led government for 'failing' to check this practice.
Shah claimed that religious conversion of Sikhs and Hindus was a big problem in Punjab. "These religious conversions cannot be stopped by Channi sahib," he said, adding that the AAP couldn't stop them either.
He asserted that only the BJP could stop the conversions.
At another rally at Patiala, the Union Home Minister praised former chief minister Amarinder Singh, saying he always rose above partisan considerations when it came to the issues concerning national security.
He said when he became the Home Minister in 2019, he felt quite concerned about the security along the Punjab border. But once I spoke to Amarinder, I felt relaxed, Shah recalled as Amarinder was present.
Shah said the way the Congress party had treated a senior leader like Amarinder, it (Congress) must not get a single seat from Patiala.
The BJP is contesting February 20 polls in alliance with Amarinder Singh led Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt).
Earlier at Ludhiana, Shah recalled the sacrifices made by the people of Punjab during the freedom struggle and also praised the state for contributing immensely towards making the country self-sufficient in foodgrain production.
Addressing the rally, he said it is only the BJP-led alliance that can secure Punjab, while questioning the ability of rival parties to do so.
Hitting out at Channi, the Congress' chief ministerial candidate, Shah said, "Channi sahib you are dreaming of forming another government. A person who could not secure the route of the prime minister, can he secure Punjab?"
He was referring to a "major security lapse" on January 5 in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stuck on a flyover in Punjab for 15-20 minutes due to a blockade by some protesters in Ferozepur and returned without attending an event at a martyrs' memorial.
"If you cannot provide security to the prime minister, then how can you secure Punjab? Channi ji, you do not have the right to run the administration for one second," Shah said.
He asked the people whether Punjab could remain safe under Channi's leadership and said, "A country is to be run, not a comedy film."
Slamming Kejriwal, the AAP national convenor, for playing "vote politics", the BJP leader said the Delhi chief minister does not have anything to do with security. "Remember the last elections? If they have their way, they will revive all terrorists," Shah claimed.
Can they secure Punjab, he asked.
"Only the NDA-led alliance can secure Punjab," said Shah as he reminded the people about surgical and air strikes against Pakistan following terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama. He claimed that during the UPA regime, terrorists from across the border used to enter Indian territory.
Raising the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he alleged that the Congress committed "a sin by killing Sikhs in Delhi".
"Nobody can forget the anti-Sikh riots. My eyes well up when I recall them. Channi should explain it," Shah demanded.
He also said it was the BJP-led government which put behind bars those involved in the riots.
He asked people to vote for the BJP in the elections, promising to address the issues of Punjab. "We will build a 'nawa' (new) Punjab," Shah said.
Shah asked people to give chance to the BJP-led alliance and promised that the drugs would be uprooted from Punjab.
On Kejriwal's promise of ending the drug problem in the state, he asked how could the AAP chief talk about ending the menace in Punjab after "drowning entire Delhi in liquor" by opening liquor shops everywhere.
In Patiala, Shah claimed Kejriwal had come to Punjab seeking the votes of Punjabis and Sikhs but despite being in power in Delhi for about eight years now, the AAP national convenor has not appointed a single Sikh as a minister in his government.
Shah said the contribution of Sikhs towards Delhi's history and development was immense but Kejriwal never acknowledged it.
He said Punjab was a border state and peace and security in the state was very important for ensuring security of the country.
In Patiala, former chief minister Amarinder Singh praised Shah and the BJP government at the Centre, saying he always got full support and cooperation from the senior leader and other ministers whenever he needed it.
He said that during COVID-19 pandemic, when the state fell short of vaccines, the Centre took no time in providing the shots to the states.
Asserting that the BJP always respects Sikh traditions, Shah highlighted the decisions taken by the Modi government like celebrating the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, opening of the Kartarpur corridor, making 'langar' free of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
