Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to cancel his address at a rally in Ferozepur, Punjab after protestors blocked his convoy on a highway 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala. As a result, Modi was stuck on the highway for around 20 minutes, in what has been labelled as a major security lapse. 

While ANI has reported that Modi returned to the Bhatinda airport and told officials to thank the CM for letting him return to the airport alive, the Home Ministry has demanded explanations for the events. 

The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), JP Nadda, did not waste any time pointing the finger at the Congress government and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. 

He said that the party feared “a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate” and thus the Congress Government in Punjab tried every possible trick to disrupt the Prime Minister’s programmes in the state.

Nadda continued, “In doing 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 Gov in Punjab has shown that they are anti-development & have no respect for freedom fighters too.”

He then pointed out the “worrisome” nature of the security breach saying that protestors should never have gained access to the Prime Minister’s route, especially after assurances had been given by the Punjab government that the way was clear. 

Nadda also expressed his disappointment with the way Chief Minister Channi handled the situation. He noted, “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 any one who believes in democratic principles.”

Also Read | In picture: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath corridor

He believes that the state police received instructions to not let people attend the rally. The police remained high-handed and coupled with the demonstrations put up by protestors, several buses were left stranded too, without being able to access the venue. 

Underscoring the Prime Minister’s altruistic intention of launching “development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab” ahead of the assembly elections, Nadda lamented the disruption. However, he expressed his resolve that this “cheap mentality” would not hinder the government’s plans for the progress and development of the state. 

Also Read | Health ministry issues revised guidelines for home isolation of mild COVID-19 patients

Chief Minister Channi stepped into the fracas, responding to the allegations. He told News18, “There was no security lapse. PM Modi had a plan to arrive by air but came by road without informing us. I had requested protesters to clear the roads by 3 pm.” 

Further, he discredited the rally Modi was supposed to attend, saying, “They had put 70,000 chairs but only 700 people came. So they made the excuse of rain and the other excuse, and the rally got cancelled.”