Rajnath targets Rahul, says Australian paper reported China lost 38-50 soldiers in Galwan

His statement comes a day after Gandhi blamed the BJP-led government’s foreign policy to bring China and Pakistan together, and also accused him of trying to distort history. Singh said that “not a single inch of land” was allowed to be occupied by China in Galwan, adding that the Australian newspaper had done its own investigation into the border clashes.

“I would like to remind him (Gandhi) of history. Does he not know that the Shaksgam valley was handed over to China when Jawaharlal Nehru was the PM of India and the Karakoram highway was constructed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir when Indira Gandhi was PM. Not any BJP leader was the PM then,” Singh said.

The Union minister added that even the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was started in 2013, when the Congress was in power at the Centre. Adding that “Punjab is for Punjabis”, Singh also dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party as an “outsider”. “A new party has come and it is the AAP. Punjab needs Punjabis, not the AAP,” Singh said while attacking the Arvind Kejriwal-led party for making “false claims in its advertisements. “People do not need alms. They want India’s head to be held high,” he added.

Later in the day, while addressing a public meeting in Gurdaspur, Singh said that BJP will confidently keep a look on those who attempt sacrilege or dare to peddle drugs if voted to power in the state.

It was the first rally of BJP’s any national leader in Punjab after the controversy during PM Narendera Modi’s visit to the state in the first week of January. He also invoked Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings of equality and praised Punjab’s contribution to the armed forces while speaking at Pathankot, saying that most of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives protecting the country were from the state. “BJP government is running a government at the Centre by taking inspiration from the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev ji. The PM had said ‘Sabka sath, sabha vikas’ and this is what Guru Nanak Dev ji also wanted. He was against any kind of discrimination,” Singh said while wearing a turban.

Recalling the sacrifices made by the Sikh community for the country, the defence minister said, “We can never forget the sacrifices of the Sikh community. We have a Sikh regiment (in the Indian Army) and when I see their courage, I feel proud. This is the land of the brave and nobody has sacrificed for the country more than Punjab in terms of population.”

He also paid homage to Akali leader Harcharan Singh Longowal, who was an important figure during operation Blue Star and later tried to sign a pact with the then PM Rajiv Gandhi over the demands of Punjab. While remembering Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Union minister said that not only did he offer gold at the Golden Temple but also at Kashi Vishavnath Temple in Varanasi. “This is our brotherhood and many forces want to break this bond and we have to be careful,” he said. Countering the BJP’s rivals over the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, Singh said that in the Union Budget, a provision of Rs 2.37 lakh crore has been made for procurement of crops.