Terms High-Headed And Arrogant Attitude Of PM Towards Cabinet Minister Mundian An Insult To Punjab, Punjabi And Punjabiyat
Punjab E News (September 10): Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema today slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the state’s flood-affected areas, labeling it a political performance rather than a genuine effort to help. Cheema urged the Prime Minister to attend a “Chintan Shivir” (a period of introspection or reflection) to rid himself of his “hatred” toward Punjab and its people.
Addressing the media here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema launched a scathing critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the flood-ravaged state, calling it a theatrical exercise devoid of empathy and substance. He pointed out the glaring contrast between PM Modi’s swift sympathy for Afghanistan and his delayed, meager assistance of ₹1600 crore to Punjab, offered only after 30 days of silence. “While the Prime Minister offered sympathy and aid to Afghanistan within hours, it took him 30 days to remember the people of Punjab who have made immense sacrifices for our country,” said Cheema.
Finance Minister Cheema pointed out the Prime Minister’s lack of empathy, saying, “Instead of meeting with grieving families who lost loved ones, farmers whose crops were destroyed, and laborers whose homes were washed away, he only rubbed salt in their wounds.” He lamented that the Prime Minister “did not wipe the tears of mothers whose sons were killed, did not hold the hands of sisters whose brothers perished, did not stand by wives whose husbands were lost, and did not support children whose parents were gone. He only came to bake his own political bread.”
The Finance Minister also strongly reacted to an incident where Prime Minister Modi told Punjab Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, who was demanding a relief package of Rs 20,000 crore, “Aapko Hindi Samaj Nahi Aati” (you do not understand Hindi). Cheema called the remark a deliberate insult to Punjab, its people, and the Punjabi language. While displaying images of Cabinet Minister Mundian’s with PM, Cheema said the picture clearly showed Minister Mundian’s humble appeal for help and PM’s arrogance. He said that the Prime Minister’s insult of the Punjabi language, on top of turning a blind eye to the flood victims, reveals his true hatred toward Punjab. “We respect Hindi language which most of us have learned in schools. But to belittle a Cabinet Minister of an elected State Government on linguistic grounds is not just arrogance, it’s a betrayal of federal dignity,” he added.
Cheema said that the Prime Minister still harbors resentment over the repeal of the three Black Farm Laws, which were overturned after a long protest by Punjab’s farmers. “It is not a big deal to withdraw laws made by mistake,” he said. “One should not hold a grudge against one’s own people because of it. I request the Prime Minister to spend 10 days in repentance to remove the hatred toward Punjabis from his heart and mind.”
Concluding his remarks, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema condemned the Prime Minister’s decision to meet with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representatives and workers instead of flood-affected citizens. He shared pictures of BJP leaders who were portrayed as flood victims during the meeting. “If he only wanted to meet with his party workers,” Cheema said, “he could have invited them to Delhi for a tea party instead of visiting Punjab and putting on this dramatic show.”
