Ludhiana Congress protests against Centre’s ‘discrimination’ against non-BJP-ruled states

Protest staged near the statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar near Jalandhar bypass here on Friday

Alleging discrimination against states where the Bharatiya Janata Party was not in power, workers of Punjab Congress staged a protest near the statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar near Jalandhar bypass here on Friday, and also asked residents to hoist the Tricolour on their rooftops in solidarity. The response, however, remained lukewarm in Ludhiana.

Congress leader Ashwani Sharma (fourth from left) along with Congress workers holding a protest in Ludhiana on Friday. (HT Photo)

“The central government is discriminating against the non-BJP states even in the time of a pandemic. It has not extended any help to the Punjab government to fight this challenging situation,” said local Congress leader Ashwani Sharma.

Slamming the BJP leaders, who also protested against the Congress-led state government by keeping a fast on Friday claiming discrepancies in distribution of food grains to the needy, Sharma said that the BJP leadership is playing dirty politics. “They should instead should urge the Centre to release the pending GST instalment of the state and announce a special package for Punjab,” he said.