Few hours after BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi maintained that Sikh farmers were not harassed by Gujarat Government, Punjab Congress on Sunday come down heavily on Gujarat Chief Minister for making no commitments to withdraw the case against Sikh farmers.
Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, ridiculing Modi’s speech at Jagraon rally, said, “Modi is totally misinformed about ground realities in Punjab. He also failed to address the problem of Sikh farmers of Gujarat who are facing displacement from their land.” Bajwa said that Sikh farmers in Gujarat and people of Punjab had high hopes that Modi during his Punjab visit would make some announcement to withdraw Special leave Petition (SlP) which Modi Government had filed in the Supreme Court against the stay granted by Gujarat High Court to Sikh farmers.
“Modi made a political statement that every Gujarati and every Indian has same right over Gujarat. Though he had made a reference to protect interest of Sikh farmers, he had not made any commitment to withdraw the SlP,” he said. He added that it was shameful that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was not able to convince Modi to withdraw SlP. On Modi’s remarks about drugs, Bajwa said that it was shocking to hear Modi when he said that drugs were coming to Punjab from other countries and central security forces manning international border are responsible for drug inflow into Punjab.
“Modi is misinformed about involvement of SAD ministers in the drug racket or he is shielding drug mafia operating in Punjab,” he added.