'Won't fire bullets...': Punjab CM on PM Modi 'security lapse'; BJP alleges 'Congress bid to harm PM'

A political war of words erupted after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to cut his Punjab trip short over what the Union Home Ministry called a 'major security lapse'.

Union minister Smriti Irani accused the Congress party, which is in power in Punjab, of trying to harm the Prime Minister. Addressing a press conference, the BJP leader said, "We know Congress hates Modi, today they tried to harm the PM of India." She alleged that the administration "knowingly constructed a scenario where the PM will be brought to harm".

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Subsequently, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi came out and defended his administration's actions. The Congress leader claimed that in the written programme provided to him, Modi was scheduled to travel by air, and not road. He said that PM Modi's travel plan was changed at the last minute. Some 'peaceful' protestors converged on the street and PM Modi's convoy was stopped far away from them, said the Chief Minister.

Channi said that PM Modi had the option of using some other route, but decided to cancel the rest of his trip. He went on to say that he won't fire bullets or rain sticks on people of the state.

The Prime Minister had planned to visit the border state to lay foundation stone of projects worth Rs 42,750 crore. These included the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra highway, four-laning of the Amritsar-Una highway, a new rail line connecting Mukerian and Talwara towns, a satellite centre of Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Ferozepur, and medical colleges in Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

Punjab is set to go to polls soon with the ruling Congress facing the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the Shiromani Akali Dal.