PM Modi in Punjab: Launches Projects, Attacks AAP, Congress, SAD
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Punjab on Friday, inaugurating and laying foundation stones for rail and road infrastructure projects worth Rs 5,470 crore. During his address in Jalandhar, he criticized the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), while asserting that only the BJP could bring development to the state.
Modi began his visit with a stop in Haryana's Jind to flag off India's first hydrogen-powered train, then travelled to Chandigarh for highway projects, and concluded in Jalandhar. There, he inaugurated the redevelopment of 75 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and other infrastructure projects.
In his speech, Modi accused the AAP government of corruption, labelling it “katthar beimaan” (blatantly dishonest) and alleging an “open game of loot” in Punjab. He claimed that the state was being run on advertisements rather than development, and that gang wars, extortion, and drug abuse were rising. He also criticized the Congress for neglecting railway infrastructure for decades.
Modi reached out to the Ravidassia community by meeting Dera Sachkhand Ballan chief Sant Niranjan Dass and flagging off the Amritsar (Chheharta)-Varanasi Sant Ravidas Express, a direct rail link between two important faith centres. This was his second meeting with the Dera chief this year.
The visit is part of the BJP's strategy to expand its independent presence in Punjab after the split with long-time ally SAD, ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann received Modi at the airfield but did not attend the Jalandhar event.
