Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Friday questioned the likely landing of another plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants at the Amritsar airport as he hit out at the Centre, accusing it of trying to defame Punjab.
A flight carrying as many as 119 illegal Indian immigrants from the US is likely to land at Amritsar airport at around 10 pm February 15, said official sources Friday.
Among the 119 illegal Indian immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
“The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming Punjab,” alleged Mann, while addressing the media in Amritsar.
“Under a conspiracy, they are trying to defame Punjab and Punjabis,” he said as he spoke about another plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants from the US which is likely to land at the Amritsar airport Saturday.
Mann said earlier, that the first US plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants had 33 people from Haryana and Gujarat each and 30 from Punjab.
“Now the second plane (carrying illegal Indian immigrants) is coming. It will also land at Amritsar airport tomorrow. Why? What is the criterion for choosing Amritsar? The Centre and Ministry of External Affairs should tell me. Why do you choose Amritsar? You choose to defame Punjab and Punjabis,” said Mann.
He said deportation is a national problem.
Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently in the US, Mann asked whether he was bringing a “gift” from the country, referring to another plane of illegal Indian immigrants.
On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian deportees landed at the Amritsar airport.
PTI