Why Punjab, Not Delhi?: Bhagwant Mann Slams Centre As Second Plane Of Immigrants Set To Land In Amritsar

As the second plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants set to arrive in Amritsar on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has questioned why the flight is landing in Punjab and not Delhi.

He has accused the Centre of trying to tarnish Punjab's image. "The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming Punjab," PTI quoted Mann as stating.

The first flight, which landed in Amritsar on February 5, had 119 immigrants out of which 67 are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, 3 from Uttar Pradesh, 2 each from Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

As reports of the second flight landing in Amritsar surfaced, Mann accused the Centre trying to defame "Punjab and Punjabis." He had earlier claimed that 33 people each from Haryana and Gujarat were on the first flight.

"Now the second plane (carrying illegal Indian immigrants) is coming. It will also land at Amritsar airport tomorrow. Why? What is the criterion for choosing Amritsar? The Centre and Ministry of External Affairs should tell me. Why do you choose Amritsar? You choose to defame Punjab and Punjabis," the CM added, stating that deportation is a national problem.

He then slammed the media for not carrying interviews with illegal immigrants from Gujarat after the first flight landed in the country, last week. "Did you see any interviews of the deportees from Gujarat on national television? Only the interviews of Punjab's youths were shown. Even tomorrow, you (media) will go there to take their interview. We strongly object to the plane being made to land in Amritsar," he added.

"Punjab meets the nation's food needs, we are the food bowl of India, we (Punjabis) gave the maximum sacrifices during the country's freedom movement. Bhagat Singh was sure that India would become Independent, but he was concerned about whose hands the country would go into after gaining freedom," he added.

He then targeted PM Modi, asking whether he was bringing "gift" in the form of deportees to India in the second plane.