Chandigarh, June 9 (IANS) Urging people of Ludhiana West to vote for “Viksit Bharat, Viksit Punjab, Viksit Ludhiana, Viksit West”, Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “love for Punjab can be gauged from the fact that even as he lost the election from Ludhiana, he was made the Union Minister”.

“The only aim of the BJP government at the Centre is to develop the entire nation. For Punjab, a beginning in this direction can be made from Ludhiana. Look at PM Modi’s love for Punjab. Even as I lost the Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana last year, he made me a Union Minister. He did so because he wanted a Punjabi in his Cabinet who can work for Punjab’s development. Earlier also there were Sikh faces in his Cabinet such as Hardeep Singh Puri but he wanted someone from Punjab. I urge people of Ludhiana to vote for BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta if they want that Ludhiana should be developed,” said Union Minister Bittu.

“He has not just made me a Minister but given extremely important portfolio like the Railways. Recently, we opened the Chenab Bridge worth Rs 43,000 crore in the border state of Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab is also a border state which deserves such huge projects. The only way to get them is to have BJP in power in Punjab. Otherwise, other states have already raced ahead of us,” he said.

Questioning the Aam Aadmi Party’s claims of observing simplicity, Union Minister Bittu asked who was footing the huge hotel bills of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Ludhiana during campaigning for the upcoming by-election.

He also claimed that CM Mann had occupied a complete floor of the hotel.

He said how previous Chief Ministers and even Prime Ministers visiting Ludhiana traditionally stayed at the Circuit House or Sutton House at Punjab Agricultural University.

“Who will pay the hotel bills now as the model election code of conduct is in force,” Union Minister Bittu asked.

The Union Minister criticised AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora, claiming he was unable to recall the name of martyr Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha correctly during an event.

“If someone does not even know the names of our martyrs, how can we trust him to uphold and protect the ideals they stood for,” he asked.

The bypoll to Ludhiana West Assembly will go to the polls on June 19 and the counting of votes will be held on June 23.

–IANS

vg/khz