Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress of labelling the youth of Punjab as “terrorists”. Addressing a rally at Kotkapura in Faridkot district in poll-bound Punjab, Modi said the leader of one party was disrespecting Punjab’s youths by calling them drug addicts. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had on Friday attacked the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal government for the state’s drug menace. Modi, however, did not take the name of the Congress scion.

The prime minister also made a veiled attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said those who insulted the Guru Granth Sahib will have to face the law. He asked the people of Punjab to “return” those who have come from Delhi. “Please ask them to fulfil the promises they have made to the people of Delhi,” he was quoted as saying by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Twitter handle. Modi said AAP’s argument against same day polls in Goa and Punjab is just an excuse for defeat. “It will lose due to the party’s antics in Delhi,” he said according to PTI.

Speaking on the alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP, Modi said it is the only government that has focused on farmers’ welfare. “We brought the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana for them,” he said, promising that the farmers’ wage will be doubled by 2022. The prime minister added that an Ethanol production plant will be set up soon in Punjab.

Modi said it is unacceptable that some are speaking ill about a “tall leader” like Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “Those who are dishonest cannot be expected to speak well about Badal sahab,” he said according to ANI. “How can they think of welfare of people in Punjab?”

On Friday, while addressing a rally in Jalandhar in Punjab, Modi had said that Congress was a sinking boat. “The party is on its death bed,” he had said. Punjab will have its polls for all 117 Assembly seats on February 4 while the counting will take place on March 11.