NEW DELHI: Politics has erupted over the US military plan with illegal Indian immigrants landing in Punjab, with chief minister Bhagwant Mann calling it BJP’s attempt to “defame Punjabis and Punjab”.
Mann’s reaction came hours after it was confirmed that a second US fight with 119 illegal immigrants will be landing in Punjab’s Amritsar on February 15-16.
The first US flight carrying over 100 illegal Indian immigrants also landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on February 5.
Criticising the BJP-led central government for choosing only Punjab for the landing of illegal immigrants, Bhagwant Mann said the Minister of External Affairs should tell “the criteria based on which Amritsar was selected to land the aircraft”.
“It is being said that out of the 119 illegal immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab and that’s why the plane will land in Amritsar. If that’s the case, then why didn’t the first plane last in Ahmedabad? … They (referring to the BJP-led central government) are trying to defame Punjab. BJP always tries to defame Punjabis and Punjab,” Mann told news agency ANI.
Taking a dig at PM Modi’s recently concluded US visit, the Punjab CM asked if deported illegal immigrants were American President Donald Trump’s gift to the Prime Minister.
“A second plane carrying (Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to the US) will land in Amritsar tomorrow…Ministry of External Affairs should tell the criteria based on which Amritsar was selected to land the aircraft. You select Amritsar to defame Punjab…So, at the time when PM Modi and (US President) Trump were meeting, they (US authorities) must have been putting shackles on our people. Is this the gift Trump has given?” he asked.
Earlier, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, on the same lines, accused the BJP of “doing injustice to Punjab” by “tarnishing” its image.
“The central government has constantly been doing injustice to Punjabis. The BJP-led government is defaming Punjab. The last US flight that landed in Punjab only 25 were from the state…most of the rest were from Gujarat, Haryana and other states. This is a move by the BJP to tarnish Punjab’s image because their Gujarat model seems to be failing which reflects how people in the state are sent outside,” Cheema claimed.
Claiming that the AAP-led government has acted against those behind illegal immigration, the Punjab finance minister said “BJP is trying to protect” the people sending citizens illegally to foreign lands.