AAP govt responsible for Punjab youth’s flight to foreign land: Bittu

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Saturday held Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party responsible for the flight of state youth to foreign countries through illegal routes, saying the problem stemmed from the government’s failure to provide jobs in the state.

Speaking to reporters at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, he also rejected Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s charge that the Centre is trying to “defame” the state by choosing Amritsar as the destination for the landing of the flights carrying US deportees.

The CM had on Friday alleged that the Amritsar airport has been selected to give the impression that all deportees belong to Punjab.

“When the first flight of deportees landed in Amritsar, CM Mann was busy campaigning for Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi. Now, under a hatched plan, he is accusing the Centre of defaming Punjab. Why couldn’t he take action against the illegal immigration racket running in the state in the past three years of their rule? He has let people of Punjab down,” said Bittu. Bittu said the accusation that the Centre is trying to tarnish the state’s image is utterly wrong.

“There are a large number of illegal immigrants under detention in the US and they belong to various states, including Haryana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. How a plane landing in Punjab is a matter of shame? These planes are bringing back our own people,” he added.