Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Punjab on July 17.
While reviewing the ongoing redevelopment of Jalandhar Cantt railway station, being undertaken at a cost of Rs 100 crore, Bittu said the Prime Minister is tentatively scheduled to visit the state on July 17 to inaugurate railway projects in Jalandhar, Chandigarh and other places.
Bittu also launched a sharp attack on the makers of the film ‘Satluj’ and actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh.
Interacting with the media at the Jalandhar Cantt railway station, he said films like ‘Satluj’ must not be allowed to stoke divisions in the state.
Bittu said the Centre had no role in getting the film banned, as neither the government nor the censors control OTT platforms. “Do the filmmakers want to stoke fires and make Punjabis fight Punjabis while showcasing films like these?” he questioned.
He said Diljit Dosanjh would not be allowed to sully the atmosphere in the state. His remarks came a day after the AAP alleged that Bittu had a role in getting the film removed from the OTT platform.
“This picture, why's it being seen? Because Diljit Dosanjh, the world-famous artist, is in it. No one has anything to do with Jaswant Singh Khalra. Nor does anyone know him. Diljit's money, his earnings, are involved in the film. It is because of this that this propaganda is being carried out,” he claimed.
Bittu also questioned why he was being dragged into the controversy, saying, “There was no case against Khalra Sahib during my grandfather Beant Singh’s tenure as Chief Minister. He was picked up by the police only after his assassination.”
Questioning attempts to link the BJP to the film's removal from the OTT platform, Bittu said there was a Congress government both at the Centre and in Punjab during the period depicted in the film.
He maintained that any legal issues would be reviewed as per law, but alleged that Diljit Dosanjh had created a sensation by asking people to download the film before it was taken down. “They earned crores this way by creating sensation. They have used the platform, clapped and walked away,” he alleged.