Congress leaders stopped by the police at a barricade during a march in Chandigarh. Photo: Vicky
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 15
Led by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar and joined by several ministers and legislators, a large number of Congress workers today set out on a protest march from the Congress Bhawan here to Punjab Raj Bhawan, demanding the repeal of farm laws. However, they were immediately stopped by the cops from marching towards Raj Bhawan, forcing the party leaders to stage a dharna near the Congress Bhawan.
Addressing the protesters, Jakhar said the central government was behaving in an arrogant manner and did not have any respect for democratic practices and public opinion. “It is the arrogance of the central government that is preventing it from repealing the laws which have been outrightly rejected by the farming community across the country,” Jakhar said, while warning against the prolonged stalemate on the issue.
He said it was after a long struggle by the Congress that constitutional institutions had been set up and strengthened, and now the BJP was trying to undermine all such institutions as it had hardly any value or respect for them. “Arrogance of the central government was not only challenging but undermining the democratic and constitutional institutions of the country,” he said.
Paying glowing tributes to the farmers who laid down their lives during the ongoing protests, party leaders said they were the martyrs of the movement and held the Modi government responsible for their martyrdom.
“The way the central government was responsible for pushing our soldiers into the death trap in Galwan heights by the lack of will and planning, in a similar way the government is accountable for pushing our farmers to death,” he said.
BJP leaders gheraoed for 3 hrs
Won’t let them hold any meet: Farmers
Farmers heckle BJP leaders in Bhawanigarh town of Sangrur on Friday. Tribune photo
Sangrur, January 15
Farmers today allegedly gheraoed senior BJP leaders for around three hours at Aggarwal Bhawan in Bhawanigarh town of the district. While BJP leaders said they had gone to meet an ailing party member, the farmers alleged they were there for a meeting in support of the farm laws.
“BJP leaders have been trying to create law and order problems in Punjab by organising meetings despite being fully aware farmers would not allow them to hold such events. We gheraoed them for three hours,” said Harjeet Singh, a BKU (Ugrahan) leader.
The BKU leaders were holding a meeting at the Kalajhar toll plaza when they learnt BJP’s state general secretary (organisation) Dinesh Kumar along with district president Randeep Deol, district general secretary Deepak Jain and party state executive member Sunil Goyal had reached Bhawanigarh for a meeting. The farmers halted their meeting and rushed to the BJP venue in Bhawanigarh.
As the police reached the spot, the BJP leaders tried to leave, but the farmers gheraoed them, forcing them to return to the building.
“Farmers are sitting on the Delhi border and if BJP leaders want to meet them, they can talk to them there. However, they are coming to Punjab to create trouble. We let them go after they apologised,” claimed Harjinder Singh, a BKU leader. Deol, however, denied having apologised to farmers. — TNS