BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh today hit back at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying that the chief minister was deliberately trying to scuttle the Modi government's development plans in Punjab.

Taking a strong exception to the manner in which the Bhagwant Mann government  has allowed the lumpen elements and criminals to subvert the national highway projects in the state, Chugh said the law and order situation in Punjab had completely collapsed  due to which no development works are being undertaken.

Chugh said the National Highway Authority of India has already terminated three major projects worth Rs 3263 crores in the state which were supposed to cover 104 kms of highway in Punjab.

Now other major projects like that of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway are also under threat due to unlawful elements having a free play in the state. He said there were eight other projects that the Centre wanted to undertake to cover 293 kms of highway at a cost of Rs 14,288 crores which are facing termination in view of the law and order situation in the state.

Chugh regretted that instead of unleashing a crackdown on disruptive elements the Bhagwant Mann government has been protecting and shielding them even at a time when the Centre was ready to contribute fairly to the development projects in Punjab.

He said it seemed that the AAP government was in collusion with the disruptive elements to ensure that no development projects are undertaken in the state.

Chugh demanded the chief minister to "behave responsibly to the people of the state and their welfare" instead of indulging in partisan politics.