Modi takes on Congress over 'UP, Bihar bhaiya' remark

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress over Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's "UP, Bihar ke bhaiye" remark, saying Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Ravidas too were born outside Punjab.

"What the Congress Chief Minister said here, on which the family from Delhi was clapping, the entire country has seen," PM Modi said at a rally in Punjab ahead of the election in the state.

Modi said that the Congress and the AAP are "partners in crime". ""AAP lies about everything. They have opened liquor stores near schools and they are talking here about improving schooling," said Modi, adding that in Delhi, they blame Punjab farmers for pollution.

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 here 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.

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.

"There was a demand for implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report for several years but they continued to sit on the file. Congress governments only spoke lies," he said.

Modi said when his government was formed at the Centre, it implemented the recommendations of the commission. He said it was in his government's time that there was a record purchase of food grains.

Attacking the Congress government in Punjab, Modi said each trade is captured by the "mafia" in the state. He also said that because of the Congress government's policies, nobody was ready to make investments in Punjab.

In entire Punjab, one voice is coming out and that is to make the BJP-led alliance victorious and form a “double engine” government, the prime minister said. "Double engine government means speedy progress. It means weeding out sand mafia and drug mafia from the state. The double engine government means flourishing of trade, giving jobs and creating new avenues of self-employment," 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.

(With inputs from PTI)

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