A political war of words erupted on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during a rally in Punjab's Jalandhar, prompting a sharp response from AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating development projects worth Rs 5,470 crore, Modi described the AAP government in Punjab as a "kattar beimaan party" (extremely dishonest party), accusing it of burdening the state with debt while failing to fulfil promises made to farmers and women.
The Prime Minister alleged that Punjab was grappling with deteriorating law and order, claiming incidents of gang wars, firing and drug trafficking had increased, making it difficult to conduct business. He further said even police stations were not safe and accused the ruling party of questioning court verdicts after one of its leaders was recently convicted in a riot case.
Modi also took aim at the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), saying both parties remained preoccupied with internal issues. He asserted that only the BJP could bring real change to Punjab.
Responding on X, Kejriwal hit back at the Prime Minister, writing, "The biggest leader of those who stole donations meant for the Shri Ram Temple came to Punjab today to deliver a lecture on honesty."
Earlier in the day, Modi visited Chandigarh, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 4,700 crore. He also announced that approval had been granted for a new MBBS college in Chandigarh, with admissions expected to begin soon.
Later in Jalandhar, the Prime Minister flagged off the Sir Govardhanpur Varanasi Express, connecting Chheharta in Amritsar with Varanasi. He interacted with Sant Niranjan Das, head of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, and schoolchildren travelling on the inaugural run. Modi also wore a green turban during the rally, while several former AAP leaders, including Vikramjit Sahney, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Mittal, shared the BJP stage for the first time after joining the party.
