New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that Khalistan supporters are getting funds from Pakistan and other countries, reported news agency PTI. Speaking on the recent happenings in the state over the release of Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh’s aide, Mann said that Punjab police were capable of handling the matter.
Mann’s remarks come after Khalistani supporter ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his followers stormed a police station in Amritsar demanding the release of Singh’s close aide Lovepreet Singh Toofan.
The Punjab CM was addressing a press conference in Bhavnagar city of Gujarat after attending a mass wedding function, a PTI report said.
Responding to a question about pro-Khalistan slogans in Punjab after the recent episode, he said, "Do you think 1,000 people (who have been seen shouting pro-Khalistan slogans) represent the entire Punjab? You come to Punjab and see for yourself who all are shouting such slogans."
"Only a handful of persons are behind this and they run their shops through funding from Pakistan and other foreign countries," Mann added, as quoted by PTI.
"Though Rajasthan shares a much larger border with Pakistan, why do drones (sent from Pakistan) land in Punjab and not in Rajasthan? Because their (Khalistani element's) masters are sitting there (in Pakistan) and they want to disturb Punjab. But we will not let them succeed," the CM said.
Mann said those who took the Sikh holy book to the police station as a shield cannot be called as "waris" (heir) of Punjab. He was referring to Amritpal Singh and his supporters' act of bringing a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib inside a police station in Ajnala on the outskirts of Amritsar.
Mann said the recent incident was a minor one and there’s no threat of more violence in the state. According to PTI, he said, "This is khayali pulao (daydreaming). Punjab has seen such black days in the past. The Punjab Police are capable of handling them and we will never allow anyone to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere."
Talking about the overall atmosphere in the state of Punjab, the CM said, "Had Punjab's situation been so bad, these industries may not have been coming to Punjab today. Even NRIs are coming back and those who planned to settle abroad have now cancelled their plans. Punjab will shine again after six-seven months."
PTI reported that he said the AAP government has already provided 27,000 new government jobs to youth while 28,000 contractual employees have been regularised.
"Punjab will soon become a drug-free zone because we are giving jobs to the youth. Moreover, industry will also create more employment opportunities. Once the youth get work, they will not seek refuge in those bad habits," Mann said, quoted PTI.
Mann also criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre over the arrest of Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia by the CBI in the liquor policy scam case.
He said, "Raj Bhavans in the country are turning into BJP headquarters and governors are acting like BJP's star campaigners. In a democracy, elected persons take decisions, not the selected one. The AAP knows how to fight and we are not afraid of the CBI or ED. They are wrong if they are under the impression that we will get scared if Sisodia is arrested."