Amarinder Singh hits back at Modi for 'parivar bhakti' remarks, says PM 'politicising' Jallianwala Bagh tragedy

Taking a strong exception to Prime Minister Modi's remarks on him in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua during a rally, Amarinder Singh said the Centre had deliberately chosen to hold a parallel event instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government.

"Shocked by your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi ji. You used a somber occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government’s decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which we’d been requesting for 2 yrs," the Chief Minister tweeted. 

Singh claimed in a statement that he had personally approached the prime minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the occasion is commemorated in a befitting manner but the Centre had failed to respond suitably. 

"Had personally approached the Prime Minister several times over the last two years, seeking his support for ensuring that the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh martyrdom is observed in a befitting manner but the Centre failed to respond suitably," a statement by the CM said.

"Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score political brownie points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections," he alleged. 

"This was truly shocking considering that the prime minister is the chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust," Singh said.

Singh claimed it did not befit a prime minister of the country to stoop so low in order to woo voters and urged Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office. 

"It was not befitting the stature of the country's prime minister to stoop to such a low in order to woo voters," the Chief Minister said, urging Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office to which the people of this great free nation had elected him.

Singh also exhorted the prime minister not to exploit the martyrdom of victims of the massacre, or of the soldiers dying everyday at the borders or in ISI-backed terror attacks such as in Pulwama, for furthering his and his party's political ambitions.

Amarinder condemned Modi for allegedly trying to mislead the people with this "politically motivated falsehoods" and claimed the PM had insulted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, "first by not being present at any of the commemorative events and then by choosing to politicise the occasion".

The Congress leader said that while Modi was busy in his usual, dirty political games, he was at the memorial for the state-level event marking the centenary.

Singh said that after leading the state at the commemorative events in Amritsar, he immediately rushed to another event organised by The Tribune Trust in Chandigarh.

Cabinet Minister (OP Soni) was appointed to be present at the Central government's function, which was attended by the vice president, he said, adding that all the necessary protocols were duly followed.

"Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments," Singh said in his statement, countering Modi's remark that he did not attend the Centre's event under pressure from his party high command.

"These things happen in the BJP, which you, Mr Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style," he alleged.

On Saturday afternoon, M Venkaiah Naidu visited Jallianwala Bagh and paid tributes to those killed in the massacre on April 13, 1919. The ceremony was organised by the Union Ministry of Culture.

Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore and Punjab Cabinet Minister O P Soni were among others present at the function held in the afternoon.

At a poll rally on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, a town located on Punjab's border, Modi said Singh boycotted the function because he was busy in "Congress parivar's bhakti (appeasing the Gandhi family)".

Modi, at the same time, said that he had known Singh for a long time and never questioned his patriotism, but understood the kind of pressure which must have been put on the Congress leader for the "Parivar Bhakti".