Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying it will lose in Punjab and Goa as it had failed the people in Delhi by its poor governance.
Mr. Modi was addressing an election rally here.
“Those [the AAP] who have failed Delhi are coming to Punjab to destroy it. Send them back and tell them to first fulfil their promises in Delhi,” said Mr. Modi, asserting that Punjab does not need a party which has nothing to offer expect “false promises”.
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“I urge you to reject the party from Delhi which has come here, with the sole purpose of exploiting all your resources ... It’s only the Akali-BJP combine that will do justice to the people of Punjab,” he said.
Mr. Modi said the AAP had already “sensed its defeat” and therefore, to deflect focus from its ‘failure of governance’ in Delhi, it was pointing a finger at the functioning of the Election Commission. “It [AAP] will lose in Punjab and Goa and this will happen due to its non-performance in Delhi.”
Evoking sentiments surrounding national security, he said Punjab was a border State and neighbouring Pakistan was always on the lookout for an opportunity to destabilise the State.
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“If a government of outsiders comes in Punjab, it will neither be good for Punjab nor for the nation’s security. We need to ensure that there’s a strong government and hence I request Punjabis to vote sensibly and not fall for false promises,” he said.
Mr. Modi said he was pained by the language being used against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during the poll campaign. Without explicitly naming AAP leaders, he said: “Those who cannot stay honest and true with Anna Hazare, how can we expect them to respect CM Parkash Singh Badal.”
‘Cong. defaming youth’
He also attacked the Congress, accusing the party of painting Punjabis as “terrorists” and defaming the youth of the State by labelling them as drug addicts.
“The Congress has committed a sin of painting Punjabis, and Sikhs in particular, as terrorist. It was the Congress that labelled Punjabi youth as terrorists and now they with others [AAP] have started calling them drug addicts. How can this be accepted,” he asked.
Accusing the Congress of a stepmotherly treatment of Punjab during the UPA regime, Mr. Modi said only the BJP-Akali combine could bring prosperity to the State.
The Chief Minister said the Congress was responsible for taking Punjab’s water out of the State. “Now the Congress and the AAP both want to take away half of the remaining water.”
Mr. Parkash Singh Badal said the SAD-BJP government had taken everyone along with it. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that sacrilege of holy books started in Punjab after the entry of AAP into the State.