New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS): BJP National Spokesperson RP Singh sharply responded to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s comments regarding the recent and proposed landing of deportees from the US at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport as an attempt to deliberately defame Punjab.

In a post on social media platform X, Singh clarified the situation, stating, “Amritsar is the closest international airport for flights entering India from the USA. That’s why the US plane carrying illegal immigrants is landing there. Stop politicising the issue and promoting conspiracy theories due to your lack of knowledge.”

Singh’s remarks came in response to a statement made by CM Mann during a press conference on Friday. He accused the BJP-led central government of deliberately trying to "defame" Punjab by choosing Amritsar as the landing site for these flights.

The Punjab Chief Minister had raised concerns over the landing of a US military plane carrying deportees and questioned the security implications of such flights.

CM Mann had also pointed out that while the demand for direct flights from Amritsar to Canada or the US had been ignored, a US military plane was landing in the region, potentially compromising Punjab’s security.

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also spoke out on the issue, criticising Mann’s approach.

Speaking to IANS, Chugh said, “I would like to tell Bhagwant Mann that these innocent children of Punjab, who were misled, should not be blamed for how or why they went, or who sent them. It’s the agents and the middlemen who ruined their lives.

"What action have you taken against these agents? Instead of finding these fake travel agents, you’re engaging in political rhetoric. You’ve been in power for many years, the Congress government for five years, and yet Punjab is still running on a financial deficit. Industries, businesses, and the service sector in the state are all in complete disarray.”

A second batch of 119 illegal immigrants from the US, including 67 Punjabis, is set to land at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Saturday night in a special plane, according to officials.

The first batch, comprising 104 deportees, arrived in Amritsar on February 5. The deportees on Saturday’s flight will include individuals from various states: 67 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 8 from Gujarat, and others from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and J&K.