Chandigarh Congress protests rising prices, GST on essential items

The march, led by party’s Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky, was stopped by police while heading towards the Punjab Raj Bhavan.

The Chandigarh unit of the Congress party on Friday staged a protest against the rising prices, imposition of GST on essential food items and the Agnipath scheme.

Chandigarh Congress workers during the protest against rising prices, imposition of GST on essential food items at the Sector 18/19 lights point on Wednesday. (Ravi Kumar//HT)

The march, led by party’s Chandigarh president HS Lucky, was stopped by police after the protesters covered some distance from the Sector 18/19 light point while heading towards the Punjab Raj Bhavan.

Party members were detained by the police as they tried to break the barricades and were taken to the Sector-19 police station.

Speaking on the occasion, Lucky said, “At least one reason for the rising prices is the wasteful government expenditure, including crores spent on the publicity of the prime minister and his cabinet colleagues, and the pro-rich policy of the government to give sops to the rich corporate by squeezing money out of the pockets of the common man.”

He said the Modi-led central government was neither allowing a meaningful discussion on price rise in the Parliament nor permitting the Congressmen to protest on the roads. Lucky alleged that the government was abusing its brute majority in the Parliament to suppress any dissenting voice, which was weakening the democratic set up of the country.