Capt, PM trade barbs over Jallianwala event
KATHUA/CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress of politicising the Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary and hit out at Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh for skipping the official event where Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was present.
Within hours, Singh accused Modi of playing “dirty politics over the sombre occasion”.
At a rally in Kathua, Modi said Amarinder had insulted the Jallianwala Bagh memorial by skipping the Union government’s event.
“On Saturday, the entire nation was paying tributes to Jallianwalla martyrs, but the Congress was busy playing politics. The Vice President went to Jallianwala Bagh to participate in a government function but the Congress chief minister was missing. He boycotted the function because he was busy with Congress ‘parivar bhakti’,” Modi said.
Taking strong exception to Modi’s remarks, Amarinder alleged that the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives of the state government.