Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday slammed Narendra Modi over a Time magazine article which called the prime minister "divider in chief", and asked people to vote for the Congress for "country's unity".
Addressing a poll rally here, Singh cited the article and said, "It showed what the international community thought of Modi who lowered India's prestige in the global arena".
The piece, a sharp criticism of Modi's leadership, has been written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer.
Singh said leaders like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had earned for the nation at global forums such as the United Nations.
He alleged Modi's "shameful" attempts to "destroy" the secular fabric of the country were a "threat" to its very existence.
He exhorted people to vote for the future and unity of India, whose diversity and secularism were its core strengths. "India needs a government that can keep it united, not leaders like Modi who are out to destroy the nation's unity," he alleged.
Singh said Modi has hit "an all-time low" with his speeches, which was a first for the country. "The fight today is for saving the country," he asserted.
Apologising for the delay in reaching Bhoa, the CM alleged that he was denied permission to land in Pathankot on the "petty instructions" of the Modi government.
"These were the cheap tactics that the prime minister was resorting to in sheer panic, in the face of BJP's imminent defeat in these polls."
He further lashed out at Modi, accusing him of trying to take credit for Balakot strikes, saying it was a victory of the armed forces, not the PM.
"The nation salutes the forces which had been making unparalleled sacrifices over the years to defend the people of India and its borders," he added.
Assuring early resolution of the problems of sugarcane mills in the Gurdaspur constituency, the CM announced his government's decision to increase the Gurdaspur cooperative sugar mill capacity from 2,000 to 10,000 tonne crushing per day, while pointing out that Rs 25 crore had been released towards clearing sugarcane dues for farmers in the region.
He noted that a medical college had already been announced for Gurdaspur and Pathankot and promised to personally take up with the Centre the long-pending demand of the local residents for Dogri certificates.
Addressing another rally in Batala, Amarinder trashed as "mere wishful thinking" the former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal's reported statement that the people of Punjab had forgotten the 2015 Bargari sacrilege incident.
