New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for his ‘UP, Bihar and Delhi de bhaiye’ remark, saying people with such “divisive thought” do not have the right to rule the state.
Addressing a rally in Abohar in the state of Punjab ahead of the February 20 assembly polls, he also urged voters to bring the BJP-led alliance to power in Punjab for the all-around development of the state.
Channi during a Congress roadshow on Tuesday courted controversy by asking people not to let “bhaiyas” of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi enter Punjab, a remark apparently aimed at leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is emerging as a strong contender for the polls to 117-member state assembly.
In a video circulating on social media, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is seen beside Channi and clapping when he made the remarks during the roadshow in Rupnagar in Punjab. The word “bhaiyas” in reference to people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is generally considered offensive.
During his address, Prime Minister Modi attacked the Congress, saying it “always makes people of one region fight against another region for its own gains”.
Referring to Channi’s remark, he said the entire country saw this. “The statement, which the Punjab chief minister has made, and his leader, who was standing beside him, was clapping. The entire country has seen this,” Modi said.
“By such statements, who are they trying to insult? There would hardly be any village here (in Punjab) where our brethren from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar would not be doing hard work,” he said.
