Election round-up: PM Narendra Modi hits out at Channi over his 'UP-Bihar bhaiyyas' comment; Pb CM seeks to clarify

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi came down heavily on Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh

Channi

over his remark against 'bhaiyyas' from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Apart from Modi, Channi also attracted the ire of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, Channi sought to clarify that his controversial remark was not aimed at people of any state but against political opponents.

In Uttar Pradesh a war of words continued between rival parties.

Here is a look at the key political developments on Thursday:

Punjab
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress, accusing it of betraying farmers and said it was the BJP government which made record purchase of grains. Addressing a rally in Abohar ahead of the February 20 Punjab assembly polls, Modi urged voters to bring the BJP-led alliance to power in the state for its all-round development.

The prime minister also slammed Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for his remark on 'bhaiyas' from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, saying Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Ravidas too were born outside Punjab.

Referring to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report, he said that it was his government which implemented them. History is witness that Congress has always betrayed farmers," Modi said.
"Give one chance to us, give me five years and then see how the double engine government takes Punjab on a speedy path of development," he said.

The BJP also accused the Aam Aadmi Party of working to cause fissures between the Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab in its bid to capture power in the state, and cited lack of Sikh representation in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in the national capital to attack it. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta also alleged that the AAPs agenda is to "loot" Punjab and likened it to the East India Company which wants to grab power in the state by making all sorts of promises.

Under fire over his 'UP de bhaiye' remark, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said his comment had been "twisted" and lauded migrants for their contribution to the state's development. Channi took to Twitter after coming under attack from several leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who referred to the remark at his election rally in Punjab's Abohar and in Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Channi said his remark referred to AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Durgesh Pathak and Sanjay Singh, alleging that they come the state from outside to create disturbance.
In Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also slammed Channi.


Uttar Pradesh

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and former chief minister Mayawati hit out at political opponents terming them anti-development and facilitators of injustice, and promised that her party will reinstate the rule of law and prevent migration of the youth for jobs on coming to power, she asserted.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh claimed that Uttar Pradesh had an "atmosphere of riots and anarchy" which changed under the BJP's "double-engine government" that gave impetus to the development and established the rule of law. He claimed the attack on Union Minister

S P Singh Baghel

, the BJP candidate pitted against Akhilesh Yadav in Karhal, makes evident the "desperation" of the Samajwadi Party chief who is "sensing defeat".

Manipur
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the BJP's claim of bringing stability to poll-bound Manipur as "hollow" and its zero-tolerance policy towards drugs as a "joke". Releasing the manifesto earlier in the day, BJP national president JP Nadda asserted that under the leadership of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the state has headed towards development in the last five years, tackling the drug menace and achieving stability with rule of law being established.

Ramesh told reporters that the Manipur government website informs people that only 47 per cent of the state's eligible population have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, which is among the lowest in the country.

Goa

The people of Goa rejected the ideology of violence in elections, prevalent in other states, Director General of Police Indra Dev Shukla said on Thursday, three days after the state recorded a nearly 80 per cent voting during the February 14 assembly polls.

Speaking at a function in South Goa's Verna town, Shukla said that by voting peacefully and in large numbers, Goans had shown that "these cultures" of violence were not acceptable in the coastal state.
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