'Conspiracy to defame Punjab', Mann on landing of 2nd plane with deportees from US in Amritsar

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday questioned the likely landing of another plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants from the US at the Amritsar airport as he hit out at the Centre, accusing it of trying to defame Punjab as part of a conspiracy. A flight carrying 119 illegal Indian immigrants is likely to land in Amritsar at around 10 pm on February 15, said official sources on Friday. Among the 119 people, 67 are from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. "The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming Punjab," alleged Mann, while addressing the media in Amritsar. "As part of a conspiracy, they are trying to defame Punjab and Punjabis," he added.

The chief minister said he has already raised this issue with the Centre but hasn't received any positive response from them. Asked if he was politicising the issue, Mann retorted, "Is this politicising, you tell me. We are political people and we have won on that basis (electoral politics), we are not an NGO. If caring about the honour of our youths and children is politics, then I will do it 24x7". Mann said the first US plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants had 33 people from Haryana and Gujarat each and 30 from Punjab. "Now the second plane is coming. It will also land at Amritsar airport tomorrow. Why? What is the criterion for choosing Amritsar? The centre and Ministry of External Affairs should tell me. Why did you choose Amritsar and not the national capital? You did this to defame Punjab and Punjabis," said Mann. He said deportation is a national problem, but it is being made to appear that only Punjabis migrate illegally. "It is a deliberate attempt so that it appears that only Punjabis migrate illegally," Mann said.

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently in the US, Mann asked whether the second plane with "Indians in shackles" was a "gift" from US President Donald Trump. On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian deportees landed at the Amritsar airport. Mann also targeted the media, saying when the previous flight landed in Amritsar, none of the people from Gujarat were interviewed. "Did you see any interviews of the deportees from Gujarat on national television? Only the interviews of Punjab's youths were shown. Even tomorrow, you (media) will go there to take their interview... We strongly object to the plane being made to land in Amritsar," he said.

"Punjab meets the nation's food needs, we are the food bowl of India, we (Punjabis) gave the maximum sacrifices during the country's freedom movement. "Bhagat Singh was sure that India would become Independent, but he was concerned about whose hands the country would go into after gaining freedom," he said. Mann said the deportation comes when Modi is giving "jaadu ki jhappi" (hug) to Trump. "They are speaking on AI and tariffs and at the same time the US is sending back deportees," he said. Replying to a question, Mann said you will not see any representative from the Centre to receive the deportees. "They had gone illegally but they are ours. We should receive them with respect," said Mann. He said a country like Colombia said that it would send its own plane to bring back their people who were illegal immigrants while India allowed a US military aircraft to land in Amritsar.

The government should have sent its own plane to bring them back, he said. Mann said if a plane carrying former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina can land at Hindon airport and Rafale jets from France inducted into the air force can land at Ambala in Haryana, then why can't a plane from the US bringing back deportees land at some other airport outside Punjab. "Why don't you land the plane at Hindon airport or the national capital? We will bring our people (from Punjab) back from there," he said. "We will bring our people back with honour unlike Haryana which sent a prisoner van to get its people," he said, referring to the deportees that came on the first flight. Mann also asked why the first plane did not land in Gujarat or Haryana as the maximum number of people were from the two states. The chief minister claimed that when the state government demands the starting of international flights from Amritsar, the Centre turns it down, citing several "frivolous" reasons. The AAP leader also accused the Centre of paying no heed to the Punjab government's pleas of seeking the deportation of wanted criminals and gangsters from the state. "Why doesn't Modi press for their deportation," he said. Mann said, "Punjabis have always stood against the regressive policies of the Union government. So, the BJP and its government hates Punjabis and is hell-bent upon hatching conspiracies to defame them".