Punjab govt should apologise for serious lapse in PM's security: Adityanath

This kind of "serious lapse in security" of the prime minister is "unforgivable", he said

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the Punjab government should apologise to the people of the country for the "serious lapse" in the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state.

Modi's visit to poll-bound Punjab was cut short earlier in the day after a "major security lapse" as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek an immediate report from the state government and strict action against those responsible.

Speaking to reporters about the incident, Adityanath said, "What has happened in Punjab is an example of the chaos and disorder prevailing in the state. The government of the Congress-ruled state should apologise to the people of the country for this."

"The Congress has always been contemptuous of the constitutional system of the country. The country has once again seen an example of this," he said.

This kind of "serious lapse in security" of the prime minister is "unforgivable", he added.

Modi, who landed in Bathinda and had to take the road route to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of the inclement weather, was stuck on the flyover due to blockade by some protesters.

After the serious lapse in security, the prime minister's convoy decided to return without attending an event at a martyrs' memorial, the home ministry statement said.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi expressed regret over the incident, but asserted that there was no security lapse.

Modi was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of development projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGIMER satellite centre.

The projects also included four-laning of the Amritsar-Una section, Mukerian-Talwara broad gauge railway line and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.