Kick-starting the BJP-led alliance’s digital campaign for February 20 Punjab polls being held amidst Covid pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made every effort to strike a chord with the Punjab electorate, especially the Sikhs. Right from starting his 20-minute virtual address with ‘Sat Sri Akal’, to speaking a few lines in Punjabi, Modi also talked about sensitive issues like 1984 riots, Kartarpur corridor, among others.
Modi stated that the saffron party “always stands for the Sikh community”, while blaming the Congress for 1984 Sikh massacre, and giving away Kartarpur Sahib to Pakistan. “Congress indulged in the massacre of Sikhs. But we got the guilty of genocide punished...Congress could not keep Kartarpur (Sahib) in India. But we opened the way to Kartarpur,” said Modi while addressing a virtual “Fateh Rally” for 18 assembly segments falling under Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituencies.
He added, “Some people hatched many conspiracies to rule Punjab. The land of the Gurus had suffered a lot...We made sincere efforts to promote the Sikh faith across the world. There are many such examples, which show our true intention in respecting the Gurus.” Stating that the NDA has a vision of “nawan Punjab” to develop its agriculture and industry, and a track record of delivering on the ground, Modi claimed that Punjab does not need hollow promises of new parties.
Modi, addressing the people of Punjab virtually from New Delhi over a month after his much-talked-about Ferozepur rally was cancelled following the “security lapse” incident, also promised to visit the State soon “to meet the people of Punjab”. “Today, I am seeking your cooperation for the development that Punjab deserves...We have to work towards building a new Punjab while following the teachings of equality and common good given by our Gurus,” he said adding that “working for Punjabiyat and Sikh tradition is an act of service and a privilege for me”.
In an apparent attempt to woo the farming community, Modi said that the state’s farmers need modern cold storages, food parks, and food processing facilities. “Better connectivity is needed to sell your product. Our double engine government will work on this expeditiously. We will give priority to the farmers of Punjab to reduce their expenditure on farming and increase their income,” he said while pointing that a record amount has been kept for fertilizer subsidy in the Union Budget this time for the welfare of small farmers.
The Prime Minister said that the state’s industrial centers will be developed under One District-One Product. “The textile sector of Ludhiana will be expanded, and for this, industry will be given incentives,” he said while adding that Punjab will develop rapidly under the “double engine Government”. He said that for some people, Punjab has only been a tool for power, and asked what had the parties, which ruled the state for decades, done for the farmers. “These parties do not have any roadmap to free the farmers of Punjab from debt, from barren land, from cancer-giving drinking water,” he said.
Modi stressed that this time, elections are not just for electing an MLA, “but for change”. He said that the BJP and its allies have made 11 commitments to the people of the state. “We will develop the border areas. One lakh crore will be spent on infrastructure in the next five years. We will set up a commission to assist the victims of terrorism, pucca houses will be given to every poor,” he said adding that the Center and the state will jointly stop the cross-border drug and arms supply with a better coordination.
He urged the voters to be cautious of those who made lofty speeches on the menace of drug addiction, but instead of helping the people, they took the disease to Delhi. “I want to tell the mothers, sisters and daughters of Punjab that the problem of drug addiction has devastated your family. I know that you are troubled and want to make Punjab free from drugs. You want to keep your children away from all this. All those people who made various speeches during the previous election on drugs and got lost as soon as the elections were over, be aware of them,” said Modi, adding that he is again asking for votes by talking sweetly.