Bikram Singh Majithia of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) claimed on Tuesday that Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the ruling Congress government had allowed the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the state to occur in order to “embarrass” the PM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The Chief Minister was never stopped for 20 minutes anywhere. If roads could be cleared for the Chief Minister, why not for the Prime Minister? Because a plan was made in the chief minister`s office to embarrass the Prime Minister and BJP,” the SAD leader said while speaking to media persons.
Taking a jibe at Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, Majithia questioned, “Have you ever heard of the news of the PCC being stuck on a road for 20 minutes?” “Its not about PM Modi alone. Its about the Prime Ministers chair. Its a constitutional post. The most protected person is the Prime Minister of the country. You have created a mockery of it in the whole world only because of your politics,” Majithia said.
The SAD leader called for the arrest of those responsible for “planning and plotting” the incident, which he claimed took place in the chief minister’s office and PCC involving the state’s home minister.
Due to a road blockade by few protestors roughly 30 kilometres from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, the Prime Minister’s convoy was stalled on a flyover for 15-20 minutes on January 5.
The Prime Minister was scheduled to travel to Ferozepur to lay the foundation stone for a number of development projects totaling Rs 42,750 crore. He decided to return to Bathinda Airport after the security failure. The Union Home Ministry has requested a report from the Punjab government regarding the security breach that occurred during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the province on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted Majithia interim bail. On the basis of a 2018 report given by the anti-drug Special Task Force, the SAD politician who previously served as a minister in the Punjab government was charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
