"PM Modi desires to give Sikh community its rightful place in terms of nation's contribution": Hardeep Singh Puri

New Delhi [India], May 17 : Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always desired to give Sikh community its rightful place in terms of nation's contribution.
Addressing the party's exclusive interaction event with the Sikh community, Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Every occasion he (PM Modi) thinks about what can be done, he desires to give the Sikh community its rightful place in terms of the nation's contribution. We have contributed to the Armed Forces, our contribution to the Armed Forces is 17 per cent."
"Today's gathering included big businessmen, academicians, famous lawyers, this was the gathering of a cross-section, their commonality was that they are all supporters of PM Modi. They want to work for PM Modi's Vikshit Bharat, they want our economy to strengthen further," Hardeep Puri told ANI.
Singer Daler Mehndi also attended the event and said that PM Modi will win the elections again.
"He (PM Modi) will become the PM for the third term, the public is with him," Mehndi told ANI.
Mehndi added that PM Modi is the first Prime Minister who has always recognised and praised the contributions of the Sikh community.
"I respect PM Modi a lot. He is the first PM who praised the Sikhs the most and he also celebrated Gurpurab with full enthusiasm. He always visits gurdwara and offers prayer. He has never said anything that hurts the sentiments of Sikhs," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the Prime Minister thinks a lot about the Sikh community.
"The Sikh people across the world can see this and this is a very proud thing for us that the BJP welcomes Sikh leaders with open arms," he said.
Fashion Designer JJ Valaya also attended the event and said that the past few years have been very growing for the country.
"He (PM Modi) has a very holistic approach," he said.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the interaction programme organised by Hardeep Puri highlighted the role of the Sikh community.
"Today Hardeep Puri organised a very good program in which he invited all the prominent faces from the Sikh community. The program highlighted the role of the Sikh community. The way PM Modi supports the community, this is somewhere a reason for a large participation of people in the event organised today," he said.
On AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case, Union Minister Hardeep Puri said, "I am shocked...he (Arvind Kejriwal) got out on bail and this happened with Swati Maliwal. I am shocked, inside the official residence of CM, a woman and Rajya Sabha MP was beaten up. This is not the first time. Once former Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash was also called to the CM's residence and he was assaulted there."
As the row over the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal continues to intensify, the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief attacked her party accusing it of saving a "Gunda" (hitman) and indulging in her "character assassination".
Maliwal's response came soon after the press conference by AAP leader Atishi, where she termed the Rajya Sabha MP's visit to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence as "part of a conspiracy" and in an apparent jibe at Atishi, the former Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) in her post stated, "kal ke aaye neta" (leaders who joined the party yesterday) while drawing comparison with her long association with AAP.
The AAP MP also pointed out that while her party had initially accepted the assault against her, now they have taken a "U-turn" in the case.
Earlier in the day, Maliwal reached the Delhi Chief Minister's residence for the recreation of the May 13 incident as part of the ongoing investigation. According to sources close to the Delhi Police, Additional DCP Delhi North, who is leading the investigation, Civil Line Police Station SHO and a team of forensic officials are present at the spot apart from Maliwal.