AAP govt, Centre joined hands to obstruct Rahul Gandhi's Punjab visit: Congress

The Congress on Monday accused the BJP-led Centre and the Punjab’s AAP government of “colluding to stop” Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi from visiting flood-hit areas in the state.

The allegation came on a day Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann slammed Gandhi for the “delayed visit” to flood-ravaged Punjab. Targeting Gandhi, Mann told reporters that he “should have let more water recede before visiting the state”.

Related news: In Punjab, Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Gurdaspur villages across Ravi cut short

Meanwhile, state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said Gandhi was not only advised to “cancel his Punjab visit” but also stopped from visiting a cluster of seven villages across the Ravi in Gurdaspur.

“They (BJP) are insecure as PM Narendra Modi during his Punjab visit indulged in photo-ops but Rahul Gandhi moved around in villages and met people,” Warring said. He claimed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had received a telephone call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting him that Gandhi should avoid crossing the flooded river due to safety concerns.

Responding to the CM’s allegation, Warring said it made more sense as floodwaters had receded and actual problems had started emerging. “It helps the party to understand as to how affected people can be assisted in the best possible way,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa accused the AAP government of “deliberately obstructing” Gandhi’s visit to flood-ravaged Gurdaspur villages.

Bajwa termed the move “shameful, insensitive and politically motivated”, accusing the Mann-led state government of “hiding behind flimsy security excuses”.

“This was not about security, it was a political decision aimed at avoiding accountability. If the government claims it cannot protect a senior leader like Rahul Gandhi, how will it protect ordinary Punjabis?” Bajwa said. Hitting out at Bhagwant Mann, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said he had no moral right to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s visit as he was himself admitted to a hospital when the state was reeling under floods.

“The CM stayed away from flood-affected areas due to differences among AAP leaders,” claimed Channi, who is also the Jalandhar Lok Sabha MP.

Channi said Rahul Gandhi’s visit to flood-affected areas in Punjab was to stand by those who lost their homes and crops. “The PM gave Rs 1,600 crore to the state. When I was the CM, crops were destroyed in two districts and we had to spend Rs 716 crore. How will Rs 1,600 crore suffice for the whole state?” he said.