STATE TIMES NEWS
Chandigarh: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday accused Pakistan of using terrorism against India as an “instrument of state policy” and said under the Modi government, India has sent a clear message to the neighbouring country that it will eliminate terrorists in its territory.
“Pakistan is a country which has consciously and continuously practised the use of terror as an instrument of state policy,” said Puri while speaking to reporters here.
“Ever since Modi ji came (to power), those who were into cross-border terrorism have got a message,” he said.
Puri also held the Congress responsible for the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.
It was not a riot, it was a massacre, he said.
Puri said the Congress is yet to seek a “proper apology” for the ‘Operation Bluestar’.
Operation Bluestar was a military operation carried out in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple.
Puri said that in 2014 when Modi took over, the country’s economic position stood at 11 spot. “It has now reached the fifth position”.
The Union minister said at present, the country’s GDP is USD 3.95 trillion and would soon surpass that of Japan which is at the fourth spot.
The country’s capital expenditure is growing by 30 per cent every year, he said.
In the interim budget, the capital expenditure was earmarked at Rs 11 lakh crore, he said.
When the Congress was in power from 2004 to 2014, the urban spending was Rs 1.70 lakh crore, he said, adding that During the last 10 years of the Modi government, this expenditure has risen to Rs 18-19 lakh crore. On BJP candidate from Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat Sanjay Tandon, Puri said Chandigarh is among the top cities of not only India but also of the world and it must be represented in the Parliament by a person of the calibre of Tandon who was familiar with the city’s ethos and its problems.
Tandon is pitted against Congress’ Manish Tewari.
Puri drew a distinction between BJP’s manifestos and those of other parties.
He said the difference between BJP manifesto and those of other parties is that “we delivered what we promised in 2014, 2019, and will continue to fulfil in 2024 too”, while it’s not the same case for other parties.
He said the Congress is trying to come to power on a “false narrative” by making unviable promises.
AAP, an INDIA bloc member, which is also supporting the Congress’ Chandigarh nominee, is busy offering ‘revaris’ (freebies) to the public in order to come to power, he said. Emphasizing the importance of the “double engine” government, Puri exhorted people of Chandigarh to vote wisely.
He said as there is a BJP government coming again at the Centre, electing a BJP candidate promises to accelerate the city’s growth through the synergy of a “double engine” government.