After Prime Minister Narendra Modi has skipped the rally in Punjab’s Ferozepur, as the “road was blocked by some protestors,” Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, while addressing a press conference, clarified that there were neither any security lapses nor any attempt to attack PM Modi.
“The Prime Minister was not attacked. There was no threat to his life. It was just an agitation. There was a peaceful protest on the way. This is wrong to say that there was a security lapse. There should not be any politics in this. We have respect for our PM,” Channi said.
“Around 30-kms away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM,” a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
Meanwhile, the MHA has sought a report from the state government asking how the PM’s cavalcade was stranded on a flyover for over 15 minutes due to the farmers’ protest when his programme had been duly communicated to the state police.
“I’m not going to lathi-charge farmers. We spoke to farmers the whole last night, after which they ended their agitation. Today, suddenly some agitators gathered in Ferozepur district,” CM Channi said, addressing reporters on Wednesday.
“We vacated all the places where the rally had to take place after we assured protesting farmers. The exact program of PM from Bathinda to Ferozpur was to go by flight. However, we had even asked them (PMO) to discontinue the visit due to bad weather conditions and protests. But we had no information of his [PM Modi] sudden route change,” he said.
Senior BJP politicians and members of Narendra Modi cabinet including Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, and party chief JP Nadda slammed the Congress government in Punjab for the “major lapse in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach” on Wednesday.
“Today’s Congress-made happening in Punjab is a trailer of how this party thinks and functions. Repeated rejections by the people have taken them to the path of insanity. The topmost echelons of the Congress owe an apology to the people of India for what they have done,” Union home minister Amit Shah tweeted.
