Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday described soldiers, farmers and sportspersons from Haryana as “dhakad” and “pride of India”, days after the protesting wrestlers from the state postponed their agitation.

Wrestlers from the state, including medal winners Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were protesting in the national capital against WFI president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who has been accused of sexual harassment.

In his first visit to Haryana after the protest, Shah addressed a rally in Sirsa and said he salutes the people from both Punjab and Haryana as they always stood like a rock in front of enemies of the country. Amid reports of a rift in the BJP-JJP alliance for 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Haryana, Shah urged the party workers and people that “Lotus should blossom on all the ten seats of the state.” Earlier in the day, the senior BJP leader addressed a rally in Punjab’s Gurdaspur where he called Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann a “pilot” of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. He said Kejriwal‘s countrywide tour was conducted by the Punjab CM.

Shah was addressing the rally in Punjab and Haryana as part of BJP’s mass public outreach programme on completion of Modi government’s nine years.

Speaking in Punjab’s border district, Shah said Punjab’s law and order is deteriorating but Chief Minister Mann has no time to spare for the state as his only job seems to be taking the state aircraft for Kejriwal’s nationwide tours.