4 min readChandigarhMar 21, 2023 01:06 PM IST
First published on: Mar 21, 2023 at 01:01 PM IST
With all eyes on Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, who is yet to be arrested by the police, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Tuesday that “Punjab was in safe hands” and “those trying to spread hate have all been arrested.”
While Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh is still on the run, the Punjab Police have arrested his uncle Harjit Singh and several aides and flown them to Assam Tuesday morning. His uncle and aides have been charged under the National Security Act (NSA), which allows the police to detain suspects in any prison across the country. The Punjab government has also extended the suspension of mobile internet services in select districts and areas in the state until Thursday afternoon.
In a video message in Hindi, Mann, without naming Amritpal, said, “Some elements were trying to vitiate the environment on the behest of some foreign powers in last few days. They were trying to vitiate the environment in the state. They were giving hate speech, speaking against the law of the land. Un par karwayi ki gai hai. Woh sab log pakde gayein hain. Unko sakht se sakht saza di jayegi (Action has been taken against them. All of them have been arrested and will be given the harshest punishment). The AAP government would not allow any such forces to raise their head in the state,” he said.
The Punjab chief minister also said the Aam Aadmi Party government would ensure the state progresses under its rule and that the security and safety of people was its responsibility. He said the government would ensure children get an education and the elderly are provided with good healthcare.
Mann said Punjab has always led the nation whenever the country needed it for any task, be it the Green Revolution or the freedom struggle. Punjabis are known for their large heart and a will to help others, but if anyone has ever tried to disturb peace, harmony and brotherhood, they have retorted.
“It is easy to provoke sons of others for help for illegal actions. I have got many calls from parents who were scared that their children too may join them. But I will reiterate that our priority is education, laptops, and computers and not illegal arms”.
He said, “I am thankful to the people of the state for their support to the government. There was not a single incident of violence reported. That shows how people want peace. I want to make it clear to 130 crore people of the nation that we are a secular party. We do not do politics based on hate. For the nation, we will take strong action. If anybody is dreaming of spoiling the peace of the state, we will not allow that to happen”.
“Every single drop of my blood is for Punjab, my heart beats for Punjab. Ours was the number one state and it will be the number one state. We are at the forefront of the country. Hundreds of our soldiers are protecting our frontiers. If anybody would try to harm our peace and harmony, he would not be spared.”
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