Jalandhar, July 17
Punjab Bhartiya Janata Party President Kewal Singh Dhillon said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never visited Punjab empty-handed and has always brought developmental initiatives for the state. Even today, he inaugurated development projects worth hundreds of crores of rupees. “On behalf of the people of Punjab, I thank the Prime Minister,” Dhillon said while addressing a public gathering during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jalandhar.
Dhillon thanked Prime Minister Modi for protecting farmers’ interests by ensuring that wheat and dairy products were kept out of the trade agreement with European countries. As he made these remarks, Prime Minister Modi, wearing a green turban symbolising Punjab’s farming community, smiled warmly.
Dhillon said the trade agreement with European nations would greatly benefit Punjab. Hosiery and bicycles from Ludhiana, sports goods and leather products from Jalandhar, machinery from Batala, and Punjab’s basmati rice, fruits and vegetables would now be able to enter 27 European countries without tariffs.
Dhillon further said that it is the Modi government that has consistently increased MSP for wheat and paddy farmers in Punjab. He claimed that during the Congress regime, MSP increases were limited to only ₹10-15, whereas under the Modi government, MSP has witnessed substantial increases even without farmers having to demand them.
Calling himself the son of a farmer, he said he understood farmers’ concerns well and asserted that Punjab cannot prosper unless its farmers become prosperous. According to him, the BJP government is committed to ensuring farmers’ prosperity.
Dhillon said that while many major economies around the world are facing recessionary pressures, India has emerged as the world’s fifth-largest economy with a growth rate of around 7 percent. He expressed confidence that Prime Minister Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047 would soon become a reality. He added that before 2014, India had only two mobile manufacturing units, whereas under the Modi government, that number has increased to around 300.
He said that in 2027, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Punjab would get a government inspired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sarkar-e-Khalsa, which would eliminate drugs, gangsterism and unemployment while restoring the state’s pride and glory.
Expressing concern over Punjab’s economy, Dhillon said the state has been steadily declining. Drugs, unemployment and gangsterism have pushed Punjab into a difficult situation. He asserted that the only solution to these challenges is the formation of a BJP government in Punjab in 2027.
Launching a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government, Dhillon claimed that Punjab had slipped from the first position to the 18th position in development rankings, while Uttar Pradesh had moved from the 20th to the second position.
Former Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar accused the AAP government of undermining constitutional and democratic values. He remarked that Punjab was under an “evil eye” and that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi could steer the state back on the right path. He urged the people of Punjab to elect a BJP government under Modi’s leadership to resolve the state’s problems.
Former Punjab BJP President and MLA Ashwani Sharma said that Prime Minister Modi had visited Punjab at a time when the state was facing immense challenges. He alleged that the youth, farmers, traders and industries were all in distress and blamed the AAP government for the situation. He also described AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal as a “fake Sanatani.”
The gathering was also addressed by former Punjab BJP President Shwait Malik, Manpreet Singh Badal, Maharani Preneet Kaur, former Union Minister Vijay Sampla, Avinash Rai Khanna, Manoranjan Kalia, Ashok Mittal, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu.