In a major security lapse Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stranded on a flyover in Punjab for 15-20 minutes after farm protesters blocked the route of his cavalcade while he was on his way to the National Martyrs Memorial at the Hussainiwala border with Pakistan.
As the Prime Minister cancelled a scheduled programme in Ferozepur — he was to lay foundation stones for development works worth Rs 42,750 crore and also address a rally – and headed back to New Delhi, the Ministry of Home Affairs, “taking cognisance of this serious security lapse” sought a detailed report from the Punjab government and asked it to “fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action”.
Signalling that there would be consequences for not securing the route of the Prime Minister’s cavalcade – Congress-ruled Punjab’s reluctance to admit any lapse set it on a collision course with the Centre — Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a Twitter post, said: “The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a detailed report on today’s security breach in Punjab. Such dereliction of security procedure in the Prime Minister’s visit is totally unacceptable and accountability will be fixed.”
“Today’s Congress-made happening in Punjab is a trailer of how this party thinks and functions. Repeated rejections by the people have taken them to the path of insanity. The topmost echelons of the Congress owe an apology to the people of India for what they have done,” he said.
News agency ANI, reporting from Bathinda, quoted officials at the airport there saying the Prime Minister told them “Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki mein Bathinda airport tak zinda laut paaya (Thank your CM, tell him that I managed to get back alive to Bathinda airport).”
The BJP too attacked the Congress and its government in Punjab, accusing them of creating a situation “where the Prime Minister is brought to harm”.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, said: “We know the Congress hates Modi. But today, they tried to harm the Prime Minister of India. Such is the breakdown of law and order of Punjab that the DGP claims he is incapable of providing security support to the PMO and the Prime Minister’s security detail. Such is the state of administration in Punjab that a security run, a protocol that is to be followed by the state, was dismantled so that the Prime Minister could be brought to harm.”
Irani claimed that protesters had been “planted” on the flyover. “Planted political instruments were given political patronage today by the Congress government to breach the security of the Prime Minister. Never before in the history of this country had a state government knowingly constructed a scenario where the Prime Minister is brought to harm. Police functionaries in a state were directed to breach the security of the Prime Minister and bring him to physical harm,” she said.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in charge of BJP’s electioneering in Punjab, said: “The Congress government of Punjab conspired to stop the Prime Minister on the road. Deliberately hurting the dignity of the Prime Minister, insulting the most important post of the nation. This is an insult to the country. The federal structure of the country is disregarded. Internal security is compromised.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a statement, said the Prime Minister landed in the morning at Bathinda airport from where he was to go to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter.
“Due to rain and poor visibility, the Prime Minister waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out. When the weather did not improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which would take more than two hours,” it said.
The Prime Minister, the MHA said, “proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements” by the Punjab DGP.
When the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, around 30 km short of the National Martyrs Memorial, it was found that the road had been blocked by some protesters, the MHA said.
“The Prime Minister was stuck on the flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister.”
“The Prime Minister’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to the Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, the Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed. After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda Airport,” it said.
Targeting the Congress and its government in Punjab, Union Minister Irani said: “Why did the administration not respond when it (the security) was breached? Why did the Congress leadership erupt with joy when the Prime Minister had his security breached?” – she was referring to a remark by Congress youth wing leader Srinivas BV who, in a Twitter post, said: “Modi ji, How’s the Josh?”.
BJP president J P Nadda, in a Twitter post, said: “The tactics used by the Congress government in Punjab would pain anyone who believes in democratic principles. The state police were instructed to prevent people from attending the rally. Large number of buses were stranded because of the high-handedness of the police & connivance with protestors.”
He said it is “sad that the PM’s visit to launch development projects worth thousands of crores for Punjab was disrupted” but “we will not let such a cheap mentality hinder progress of Punjab”.
The Prime Minister's convoy was held up in Punjab's Ferozepur district on Wednesday. (PTI) 
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