Chandigarh: Congress protests against BJP over ‘anti-public’ policies

The Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee, led by president Subash Chawla, staged a protest against the BJP outside the municipal corporation office in Sector 17

The Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee, led by president Subash Chawla, staged a protest against the “anti-public” policies of the BJP outside the municipal corporation office in Sector 17 on Saturday. Police barricaded the spot and had to resort to the use of water cannons to disperse of the protesters. Carrying placards and banners with messages like “take back hike in water tariffs immediately”, the party leaders and workers gheraoed the MC office for nearly three hours.

Police using water cannons to disperse Congress workers protesting against the BJP outside the municipal corporation office in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Saturday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

“The protest was held to wake the BJP from its slumber. The public is fed up with the BJP’s anti-common man and anti-farmers policies. In fact, the public has made its mind to topple BJP rule, beginning from the upcoming Chandigarh MC elections,” Chawla said.

AAP opposes inflation

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh unit on Saturday took out a protest march from Sector 19/27 light point to Sector 18/19 light point against the increasing prices of petrol, diesel, gas, vegetables, pulses etc under the Narendra Modi-led central government.

Party volunteers, led by senior party leader and former MP Harmohan Dhawan, AAP Chandigarh unit co-in-charge Pradeep Chhabra and convener Prem Garg raised slogans against the central government. On the occasion, Dhawan said, “The general public is distressed due to the huge increase in the prices of diesel, petrol, gas cylinders and food items in the rule of the BJP government. Due to the wrong policies of the central government, the condition of the common people has gone from bad to worse.”

Meanwhile, lashing out at the BJP, Pradeep Chhabra said , “ About eight years ago, the BJP had gained power by misleading the people by raising the slogan of “bahut hui mehangai ki maar, ab ki baar Modi sarkar”. Along with this, it was also promised that good days will come; but due to the wrong policies of the central government, inflation is at its peak today. The unbridled inflation has troubled the public.”