24052024-TTC-01.qxd 5/24/2024 12:58 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 143 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 CHINA LAUNCHES ‘PUNISHMENT DRILLS’ AROUND TAIWAN WORLD /thetribunechd PARTIES GO ALL OUT TO WOO KASHMIRI PANDITS IN ANANTNAG J&K INDIGO TO INTRODUCE BUSINESS CLASS IN FLIGHTS BUSINESS MALIWAL: READY FOR NARCO, POLYGRAPH TESTS NATION friday | 24 may 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com PATIALA RALLY Amid protests by farmer unions, PM flies by chopper to address event in support of BJP candidates Modi cites khoon ka rishta with Punjab, says Cong let go of Kartarpur shrine in ’71 Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Patiala, May 23 Seeking to strike an emotional chord with Punjab voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today cited khoon ka rishta with the state, invoking Bhai Mohkam Singh, one of Panj Pyaras, who belonged to Dwarka in Gujarat. He was addressing a packed election rally, his first in the state ahead of June 1 voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha poll, at Maharaja Bhalinder Singh Sports Complex (Polo Ground) on his maiden visit to the city as the PM. Speaking in chaste Punjabi, the PM invoked Guru Tegh Bahadur and Kali Mata to say he considered himself fortunate to kick off his Punjab canvassing from the pious land of Patiala. Defying a massive protest by farm unions, which were prevented from proceeding to the venue, the PM said: “Mera Punjab se khoon ka rishta hai (I share a blood relation with Punjab), as one of the Panj Pyaras was from Gujarat. And I do not say so because I seek votes. It is out of respect for Gurus and the sacrifice they made for humanity.” Amid chants of “Modi ji ko jai Shri Ram” by supporters at the venue, PM Modi responded in chaste Punjabi: “Is vaar… 400 paar” and “Phir ik vaar…. Modi Sarkar”. To avert any untoward incident in the wake of 2022 security scare during his Ferozepur visit, when his convoy was stopped by protesting 7 Naxalites killed in C’garh encounter NARAYANPUR: Seven Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in a forest in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, the police said. The gunfight broke out when a team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Narayanpur SP Prabhat Kumar said. — PTI SENSEX RISES BY 1,196 POINTS Best single-day gain since Jan 29 CLOSES AT 75,418.04 ■ Nifty hits new high of 22,967.65 ■ Investors richer by ~4.28L cr ■ After BSE, market cap of NSE-listed companies touches $5 tn Prime Minister Narendra Modi flanked by party candidate Preneet Kaur and state unit chief Sunil Jakhar during a rally in Patiala. PTI Capt stays away, cites health issues In Haryana, PM slams Cong over quota PATIALA: Citing health reasons, former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh stayed away from the PM’s rally. His picture was displayed on the main party hoarding along with BJP state chief Sunil Jakhar. Preneet Kaur maintained he could not make it due to medical reasons. The former CM has remained away from Preneet’s campaign ever since she was nominated by the BJP to contest from Patiala. INSIDE MAHENDRAGARH: Addressing a rally here, PM Modi on Thurs- day alleged the Congress wanted to give quota to the Muslims. “The reservation for SCs/STs and OBCs is their ‘adhikar’ and Modi is the ‘chowkidar’ of this ‘adhikar’,” he said, accusing INDIA bloc of engaging in politics of communalism, casteism and dynasty. He said the Opposition was talking about a formula of having five Prime Ministers in five years. INSIDE IN LAST LAP, PM’S BID TO CONNECT WITH PUNJABIS WITH BACK-TO-BACK RALLIES INSIDE farmers, the PM took the aerial route this time and landed at the nearby Yadavindra Public School grounds in an Army helicopter. Donning a kesari (saffron) turban, cream kurta and red scarf, he was greeted by state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar; and party’s LS candidates Preneet Kaur (Patiala), Arvind Khanna (Sangrur), Geja Ram Valmiki (Fetehgarh Sahib) and Hans Raj Hans (Faridkot). Recounting the 1971 war when 90,000 Pakistan soldiers were imprisoned by India, PM Modi said: “Those soldiers were let off for free. Had Modi been the PM, I would have taken control of Kartarpur Sahib and then freed the soldiers. For decades, people of Punjab and elsewhere have been having ‘darshan’ of the shrine across the border using binoculars. After taking over as PM, it was my priority to ensure Sikhs could have actual darshan of the shrine.” Opening a frontal attack at the opposition AAP and Congress, the PM said the two parties were two sides of the same coin and had formed a “backdoor” alliance. “In Delhi, they Canvassing ends for 58 seats in 8 states PHASE-6 889 in fray | Polling for all seats in Haryana, Delhi tomorrow Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 23 Campaigning for the sixth phase of polling in 58 constituencies across eight states and union territories — Delhi, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and J&K — ended on Thursday evening. The polling will be held on May 25. Besides all seven seats in Delhi, polling will be held for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 seats of Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, six seats in Odisha, four seats in Jharkhand and one seat in Jammu and Kashmir. In the previous elections, the NDA (BJP and its allies) had won 44 of these Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami and BJP’s Bansuri Swaraj in Delhi. PTI seats and the Congress none. On the final day of campaigning, leaders of both BJP and the opposition-backed INDIA bloc spared no effort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Bhiwani, Haryana, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a gathering in Dwarka, Delhi. Union Minister Piyush Goyal held a road- show in Najafgarh. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a rally in support of party candidate from North East Delhi and later held a gathering in Mangolpuri. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra conducted a roadshow in Sirsa. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray. Among the key contestants are former Union Minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi (Sultanpur, UP), former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal), Congress leader Deepender Hooda (Rohtak), former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti (Anantnag), BJP leader Rao Inderjit Singh (Gurugram) and Congress’ Raj Babbar. continued on page 10 In Hry, Priyanka takes up cause of farmers, wrestlers Tribune News Service Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during a roadshow in Sirsa. PTI Chandigarh, May 23 Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP senior , Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today hit the campaign trail in Haryana, targeting the BJP government on the issues of farmers and women wrestlers. She said the Congress would get a big margin in the state. “Those who stopped you from entering Delhi, throw them out of Delhi. This is your country. You are the soul of this nation. This country’s soldier is your son. When your sons give their lives for this nation, you send your other children too. I understand this because I am also the daughter of a martyr and the granddaughter of a martyr. We shall fight with you and fight for you. The time has come for you to wake up and fight for your rights and throw this government out,” the AICC general secretary told a public meeting at Panipat, reaching out to the farming community. Striking an emotional chord with people, Priyanka said “our daughters who brought Olympic medals were made to sit on roads and protest”. “When they won the medals, Modiji invited them to his house and clicked pictures with them. And when they were fighting for justice, they were not heard,” the Congress leader said. Meanwhile, at a rally in Sirsa, Priyanka predicted a wave against the BJP People . are tired of their (Modi-BJP) politics. A change is certain in Haryana and the Congress will win with a huge margin on all seats, she said. Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b are lifting each other on their shoulders and dancing, while over here they are pretending to fight each other.” “I urge the people of Punjab to be wary of them. On one side is Modi, who has elevated 25 crore people out of poverty, on the other is INDI bloc, which will take away your land,” said the PM. Accusing the “corrupt” AAP government of ruining the state, PM Modi said: “There has been an exodus of business from Punjab. Drugs menace is flourishing. Gangsters and shooters are ruling the state. ‘Mantri-santri’ (ministers and police) are doing nothing. And we have a ‘ kagazi CM’ (CM only on paper), who is busy marking attendance in Delhi before the party high command.” Touching upon the emotional issue of farmers, the PM said for the past 10 years, the government had been lifting wheat and paddy on MSP and there had been no delay in the disbursal of funds. Besides, the government had increased the MSP on crops by more than two times, said Modi. Attacking the Congress, he said its “communal and casteist” ideology had led to Partition. “Punjab witnessed a lot of pain during Partition. And strangely they are opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act. A number of Hindus and Sikhs had migrated from Pakistan and taken shelter in India. “Is it wrong if I am using CAA to give citizenship to people who were devastated during Partition?” said the PM. Farmers stage a protest in Patiala on Thursday. PTI Barred from rally, farmers clash with cops, block roads Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, May 23 Chaos reigned supreme on all roads leading to the city this morning as hundreds of protesting farmers began their march towards the venue of the Prime Minister’s rally — Polo Ground. Security personnel belonging to the Punjab Police, Special Operations Group, reserved battalions and Central forces had a tough time dealing with farmers who clashed with them and sat on a dharna when stopped from proceeding further. BJP’s Faridkot candidate Hans Raj Hans, who was on his way to the rally venue, had to face the farmers’ ire at Passiana. His cavalcade was surrounded by union activists, who refused to give way to it. Senior officers, STRETCHES HIT BY PROTEST Patiala-Sirhind Road Dental College PatialaBhadson road Dharerhi Jattan NH toll plaza PATIALA Passiana-Samana road ROADS BLOCKED MAP NOT TO SCALE including Patiala SSP Varun Sharma, reached the spot and tried to pacify them. However, the farmers reportedly turned violent and the police had to use mild force to disperse them. Resultantly, a few policemen and a farmer sustained minor injuries. The singer-turnedpolitician finally managed to continued on page 10