PM Modi | Punjab polls
'My chopper was held up by Yuvraj during 2014 campaign': PM Modi's fresh dig at Rahul Gandhi in Punjab
New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a 2014 incident in which, the former said, his helicopter was held up in Punjab as "Yuvraj" (prince-a remark that Modi often refers to Rahul) was flying to Amritsar.
PM Modi said he had gone to Punjab at that time to campaign for the 2014 general election, after being named the BJP's candidate for the Prime Minister, when the incident took place.
"I was named PM candidate. I had to visit Pathankot and Himachal to campaign. But my chopper was not allowed to fly to Pathankot because their yuvraj (prince) was also in Amritsar. He was only a Congress MP. The Congress has a habit of not allowing the opposition to work," PM Modi said at a rally in Jalandhar, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The prime minister's taunt came on the same day Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Singh alleged that he was forced to miss Rahul Gandhi's rally as he was denied permission to fly due to Modi's visit to Jalandhar.
"Charanjit Channi is a Chief Minister, he's not a terrorist that you are stopping him from flying to Hoshiarpur! This is not the way," an apparently furious Channi told reporters.
According to reports, he waited for more than an hour for his helicopter to be cleared for flight as a "no-fly zone" was enforced since PM Modi was visiting Jalandhar.
Channi was supposed to take a chopper from Chandigarh to Hoshiarpur for Rahul Gandhi's rally. After waiting that long, he finally returned home from the helipad.
Amarinder Singh, who was dropped as Chief Minister by the Congress in September, was on stage when PM Modi made the remarks.
The former Chief Minister has tied up with the BJP for the Punjab election.
Speaking during his address and referring to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's statement without naming her, he said, she had recently stated that Capt Amarinder Singh did not listen to them and instead worked with the centre.
“This is a clear admission of trying to remote control the state government," the PM pointed out while adding, "Capt Sahib worked with the central government in the true spirit of federalism, but when he refused to take the family's diktats they removed him."
He said, the Congress party had deep animosity with Punjab and Punjabis and it will never let Punjab grow.
He said, instead of punishing the culprits of the 1984 riots, it had rewarded them with ministerial positions and it was the BJP government that had ensured the culprits were put behind the bars.
Modi said that Punjab needed a government, which will work for the security of the country and only the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government can do that.
"Only that government can serve Punjab, which will rise above the partisan considerations," the PM said, while addressing a public rally here. He said right now, Punjab needed a 'double-engine' government, which will work closely with the Central government to take Punjab out of its problems, besides ensuring peace and harmony.
[With UNI inputs]
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