Punjab: PM Modi's rally called off after security breach due to protests

In a major security lapse Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stuck on a flyover in Punjab for 1520 minutes due to blockade by some protesters and returned without attending an event at a martyrs memorial Reacting sharply the Union Home Ministry asked the Punjab government to fix responsibility for the serious lapse and take strict actionThe prime minister also could not attend a rally in Punjabs Ferozepur According to a ministry statement the prime minister landed this morning at Bathinda in Punjab from where he was to go to the national martyrs memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter Due to rain and poor visibility the prime minister waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear When the weather did not improve it was decided that he would visit the national martyrs memorial via road which would take more than two hoursHe proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police the statement said Around 30 kms away from the national martyrs memorial in Hussainiwala when Modis convoy reached a flyover it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors The Prime Minister was stuck on a flyover for 1520 minutes This was a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister the statement saidThe home ministry said the prime ministers schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to the Punjab government and as per procedure they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics security as well as keep a contingency plan ready Also the home ministry said in view of the contingency plan the Punjab government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road which were clearly not deployedAfter this security lapse it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport the statement said The home ministry taking cognisance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the Punjab governmentThe Punjab government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action the statement said Punjab had seen massive protests against the Centres three farm laws since November 2020 and these were repealed last monthBJP president JP Nadda accused the Congress government in Punjab of trying all possible tricks to scuttle Prime Minister Narendra Modis programmes the state Protestors were given access to the Prime Ministers route while the Punjab CS chief secretary and DGP gave assurances to SPG that the route is clear To make matters worse Chief Minister 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 anyone who believes in democratic principles Nadda saidFearing a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate the Congress Government in Punjab tried all possible tricks to scuttle the PM narendramodi Jirsquos programmes in the statemdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022In doing they did not bother that the PM was to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh amp other martyrs and lay the foundation stone for key development worksBy their cheap anticsCongress Gov in Punjab has shown that they are antidevelopment amp have no respect for freedom fighters toomdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022What is extremely worrisome is that this incident was also a big security lapse as far as the PM is concerned Protestors were given access to the Prime Ministerrsquos route while the Punjab CS and DGP gave assurances to SPG that the route is clearmdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022To make matters worse CM Channi refused to get on the phone to either address the matter or solve itThe tactics used by the Congress government in Punjab would pain any one who believes in democratic principlesmdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022The state police was instructed to prevent people from attending the rally Large number of buses were stranded because of the highhandedness of the police amp connivance with protestorsmdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022It is sad that the PMrsquos visit to launch development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab was disrupted But we will not let such cheap mentality hinder progress of Punjab and will continue the effort for the development of Punjabmdash Jagat Prakash Nadda JPNadda January 5 2022The prime minister wanted to meet you all but because of some reasons he is not going to be with us today The PM has said that these programmes have been postponed and not cancelled Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at the Ferozepur public meetingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever