Prime Minister’s Ferozepur rally cancelled, Nadda says Congress Govt ‘scuttled’ it

When the PM's convoy reached the flyover, some protesters blocked the road, and the rally was cancelled later. It was a security lapse, and MHA has asked the Punjab Govt to fix responsibility.

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday (January 5) lashed out at the Congress government in Punjab for allegedly trying to "scuttle" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's programmes in the state.

"Fearing a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate, the Congress government in Punjab tried all possible tricks to scuttle the PM Narendra Modi Ji's programmes in the state," he tweeted.

The rally at Ferozepur was cancelled due to protest by farmers as PM Modi was to reach the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala at (Ferozepur) on the road. The Prime Minister landed at Bathinda Airport on Wednesday morning and was initially scheduled to visit the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala (Ferozepur) via helicopter. But due to rain and poor visibility, the security personnel decided about the road journey to reach the Memorial after a 20-minute wait.

Accordingly, Punjab DGP was also informed by the SPG. But when the PM's convoy reached a flyover, the road was blocked by some protesters, and later the rally was cancelled.

"The state police was instructed to prevent people from attending the rally. A large number of buses were stranded because of the high-handedness of the police & connivance with protestors," Nadda wrote in a series of tweets.

"What is extremely worrisome is that this incident was also a big security lapse as far as the PM is concerned. Protestors were given access to the Prime Minister's route while the Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP gave assurances to SPG that the route is clear."

He further wrote: "It is sad that the PM's visit to launch development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab was disrupted. But we will not let such a cheap mentality hinder the progress of Punjab and will continue the effort for the development of Punjab."

Mr Nadda also said, "To make matters worse, CM Channi refused to get on the phone to either address the matter or solve it. The tactics used by the Congress government in Punjab would pain anyone who believes in democratic principles."

"In doing so, they did not bother that the PM was to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh & other martyrs and lay the foundation stone for key development works. By their cheap antics, Congress Govt in Punjab has shown that they are anti-development and have no respect for freedom fighters too."

PM Modi was on a visit to Ferozepur on Wednesday to address a rally and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore. The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the state government and asked it to fix responsibility for the lapse.