Shivraj Singh Chouhan slams Sonia Gandhi over PM's security breach; 'can't fight Modi'

Targeting Congress over PM Modi's security breach, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that the grand old party is afraid. His reaction came after the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was breached during his visit to the state on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering in Hyderabad, Chouhan said, "Such incident never happened before in Punjab. Security arrangements were the state government's responsibility. Sonia Gandhi is scared, she cannot fight with Modi on the ground."

Secret intel note warned Punjab Govt of threat & blockade on PM Modi's route 3 days prior

The Centre had warned the Charanjit Singh Channi led Congress government in advance about a possible blockade of PM Narendra Modi's route during his Ferozepur visit on January 5. As the secret intelligence noted dated January 2 accessed by Republic, the PM faces a grave threat from terror outfits such as IM, LeT, HuJI, TTP besides Left-wing extremists and remnants of LTTE cadres.

Moreover, it specifically mentioned Pakistan-based terrorists Paramjit Singh Panjawar, Lakhbir Singh Rhoda, Ranjit Singh Neeta and Wadhawa Singh Babbar have been trying to target VIPs during the elections in a bid to revive militancy in Punjab.

It also mentioned the threat by Sikhs for Justice. Providing the context of the agitation against the revoked farm laws, the government made it clear that the protest on the way to Hussainiwala cannot be ruled out.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) leader Surjit Singh Phool, in a video message, said that his union had blocked the road without any idea that PM was coming via road. "At 12 PM, police told us to leave saying PM Modi is going to come (via road). We thought police were lying to us in order to allow the BJP buses to leave via the main road," the BKU(K) chief had said.

How the Prime Minister's security was breached

The Prime Minister was forced to postpone his Ferozepur rally after being blocked on a flyover for 20 minutes. PM Modi, who was scheduled to inaugurate projects worth Rs 42,750 crores and address a joint BJP-PLC-SAD(D) rally in Ferozepur, returned to Delhi before his scheduled visit to the National Martyrs Memorial via road. Around 30 km away from Hussainiwala, the Prime Minister's convoy was blocked by some protestors. The MHA termed it a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister and his cavalcade was reversed to Bathinda airport.