Jalandhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attacked the Congress and Rahul Gandhi over a 2014 incident when he said his helicopter was held up in Punjab because โYuvraj (prince)โ was flying to Amritsar.
PM Modi said he had gone to Punjab to campaign for the 2014 national election, after being named the BJPโs presumptive Prime Minister, when the incident took place.
โMy name was announced for PM candidate. I had to visit Pathankot and Himachal to campaign. But my chopper was not allowed to fly because their yuvraj (prince) was also in Amritsar. So the Congress has a habit of not allowing the opposition to work,โ PM Modi said at a rally in Jalandhar ahead of Sundayโs election in Punjab.
The PMโs taunt was significant on a day Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channiโs helicopter was not allowed to take off from Chandigarhโs Rajendra Park, reportedly as a โno-fly zoneโ had been enforced due to the Prime Ministerโs visit.
The Chief Minister was flying to Punjabโs Hoshiarpur for Congress leader Rahul Gandhiโs poll rally. Rahul Gandhiโs chopper was, however, allowed to land in Hoshiarpur.
The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of โhumiliating Captain Amarinder Singhโ after trying to obstruct his government and run it by remote control.
Amarinder Singh, who was replaced as Chief Minister by the Congress in September, was on stage when PM Modi made the remarks.
Referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadraโs comments about Amarinder Singhโs government โrun by remote controlโ by the central government in Delhi, PM Modi said: โThey said we didnโt want Captainโs government to be run by Delhi. This means Congress governments are run by remote control by one family, not by the constitution.โ
The Congress is โpaying for its misdeedsโ now, the Prime Minister said.
โLook at the state of the Congress. Their own party is falling apart. Their own leaders are exposing them. A party with so much infighting โ can it give a stable government to Punjab?โ PM Modi questioned.
The Prime Minister was addressing his first rally in Punjab since last monthโs security lapse, when he was forced to spend 20 minutes on a flyover on his way to a rally because of a blockade by farm protesters.
โI wanted to visit Devi Ka Talab but the Punjab Police said it canโt allow it due to security. This is the condition of security in Punjab,โ PM Modi remarked.
Punjab will vote on Sunday for a new government.
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