Amritsar: Opposing the move of Government of India to land plane carrying deported Indians at Amritsar airport, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday described it as a conspiracy of union government to defame Punjab and Punjabis.
Interacting with the media persons here on February 14, the Chief Minister said that despite of Punjab being food bowl and sword arm of India, BJP led government has started a tirade to defame state. He said that the move to land plane carrying deported Indians from US in Amritsar is just another attempt of the Government of India to tarnish image of Punjab globally. He questioned the move of MEA to choose Amritsar for landing these this plane here whereas there are hundreds of other airports in the country.
The Chief Minister said that he has already raised this issue with the MEA and MHA but hasn’t received any positive response from them. He said that one plane had landed a few days back and now two more planes are being landed without any proper justification. Mann said that Punjabis are being targeted because Prime Minister and his party doesn’t like them despite of the fact that more than 90% of people martyred, jailed or exiled during Indian freedom struggle were from Punjab.
The Chief Minister said that it is the moral responsibility of the MEA to explain why Punjab especially Amritsar has been chosen for this landing. He said that despite of fact that a hostile neighbor is 40 kilometres away from Amritsar; an Army plane of US is being landed here. Mann said that when the state government demands starting of international flights from here then the demand is declined by citing several frivolous reasons.
However, he said that to tarnish the image of state the plane carrying deportees is being landed here without any rationale. He said that if the plane carrying former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shiekh Haseena can be landed at Hindon air port and Rafale jet can land in Ambala then why can’t be this plane taken to any other part of country. Mann said that illegal immigration is not only the problem of Punjab but it is a national problem whereas projection is being made that Punjab is severely affected by this so only Punjabis are being deported from United States.
Training his guns against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister quipped that the ‘self proclaimed global leader’ has failed to secure rights of Indians. He said that it is the failure of foreign policy of the country as when Modi was shaking hand with his friend Donald Trump, at the same time the chained Indians were being deported through Army plane. Mann said that except his self glorification Modi has gained nothing for the country in his trip and the chained Indians deported to their native land are a return gift by Trump to Modi.
