Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda/Budhlada, Oct 2
Taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task and holding him responsible for creating a war “hysteria” and “masterminding” mass evacuation of residents of 1,000 Punjab border villages, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh said Modi’s game plan was to showcase him as a “Saviour of Hindutava” to secure his party’s victory in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Amarinder exhorted people of border areas to not leave their homes and resist the pressure being exerted by the state government under the BJP-led Central government.
“Moving poor people from their homes without a valid reason and without proper rehabilitation camps is just a cruel exercise created out of political ambitions. The Indian and Pakistani soldiers are still positioned in their barracks. They have not moved to the front or their respective battle positions. Then why poor farmers who are expecting a bumper paddy crop are being pushed to a distance of 10 km from the borders and are forced to leave their homes and belongings?” he questioned.
He described the evacuation orders as unprecedented.
“Intriguingly, the Defence Ministry has not issued any directions for evacuation of Punjab border villages’ residents. Instead, the orders have come from the Home Ministry headed by Rajnath Singh,” he said.