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“Consipracy to defame Punjab,” CM Mann slams govt for landing US plane in Amritsar
The Punjab CM urged the Government of India to divert the US plane carrying illegal immigrants to either New Delhi or Ahmedabad.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann during a press conference in Amritsar on February 14, 2024. / DIPRO Amritsar, Punjab.
Amritsar: The Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann objected to the landing of a second US Air Force C-17 plane in Amritsar with Indian deportees alleging it as a conspiracy by the central government to defame the state.
“The central government led by BJP leave no opportunity to target and defame Punjab and Punjabis. It is being done under a conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis,” Mann told reporters at a press conference on Feb. 14.
His statement comes after news broke out in the region that a second US flight carrying 119 Indian deportees is landing in Amritsar at about 10 p.m. (local time) on Feb. 15. The first plane of deportees carrying over 100 illegal Indian immigrants also landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Feb. 5.
Questioning the move to land the planes only in Punjab, the CM asked the Government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to explain the criteria of choosing Amritsar as landing station for US Air Force plane carrying the Indian deportees. “Union Government’s Ministry of External Affairs should explain the criteria of choosing Amritsar?,” Mann said.
The Punjab CM gave the example of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said that when she came to seek political asylum in a Bangladesh military plane, she was landed at Hindan Airport in Ghaziabad.
“Why cannot we land them (Indian deportees in a US plane) at Hindan or the national capital? We will bring our state residents. But intentionally Punjab is being targeted to give a color in the media that those are only Punjabis who go abroad illegally,” the CM said.
Mann also said that his government had earlier sent requests to the Ministry of External Affairs to start flights to US or Canada from Amritsar or Mohali airports of Punjab, which were refused as the airports were termed not suitable for those flights.
“But it is now suitable to land US military planes. For taking flights to the US, our people should go to Delhi and then fly to the US, Canada after paying taxes and expenses to reach Delhi. But for deportation, we should be landed at Amritsar,” the CM pointed out.
He further urged the government to divert the incoming planes to either New Delhi, Hindan, or Ahmedabad. “We have officially registered our objection with the MEA and we do not want more US planes to land in Punjab,” Mann asserted, adding that he has not received any positive response from the centre.
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