Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his trip to Punjab's Ferozepur to address a rally after protesters blocked his convoy on a flyover en route to the venue. The prime minister returned to the Bhatinda airport and flew to Delhi.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya later said that the rally has been postponed. The incident has triggered a conflict between the Centre and the Congress-ruled state ahead of the state election.
The prime minister on his return to the airport was reportedly furious that Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi “refused to get on phone”.
ANI reports that Modi was heard telling officials at the airport “Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki mein Bhatinda airport tak zinda laut paaya (Thank your chief minister that I reached Bhatinda airport alive).”
Modi, who was travelling by road in Punjab, was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to a blockade, an incident the Union home ministry is describing as a “major lapse” in security.
The ministry also asked the Punjab government to fix responsibility for the lapse and take strict action.
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Speaking to the people gathered at the rally there, Mandaviya said, “The 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 (inauguration) have been postponed and not cancelled.”
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma blamed the Charanjit Channi-led Congress government for the security lapse.
The prime minister was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of development projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGIMER satellite centre.
Sharma alleged that the Punjab Police was instructed to prevent people from attending the rally.
He said a large number of buses and other vehicles carrying BJP workers and other people were stranded.
He claimed that the police connived with protesters blocking the movement of those headed for the rally.
"The PM was coming here to give something to Punjab. But the state government failed to provide security. This government must go," Sharma said.
- With inputs from PTI
