Rahul Gandhi visit hassles commuters on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur road

While police had to suspend traffic on Ludhiana-Ferozepur road multiple times to facilitate VVIP movement, supporters of the Congress party had gathered to catch a glimpse of their leader. The party workers also raised hoardings and stages at various spots to welcome Rahul Gandhi.

Commuters were a harried lot as police and Congress supporters blocked various stretches of the Ludhiana-Ferozepur road during All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the city on Sunday.

Police personnel controlling the traffic on Ludhiana Ferozepur road to give a way to cavalcade of AICC chief Rahul Gandhi in Ludhiana on Sunday. (HT Photo)

While police had to suspend traffic on the stretch multiple times to facilitate VVIP movement, supporters of the Congress party had gathered to catch a glimpse of their leader. The party workers also raised hoardings and stages at various spots to welcome Gandhi.

This led to massive traffic jams on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur road, which has already been narrowed for construction work.

Traffic movement was first suspended to facilitate the cavalcades of Gandhi, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu and others who had reached a hotel on Ludhiana-Ferozepur road for lunch. Later, traffic was again halted when they left for a resort on the same route where the virtual rally was to be held and subsequently when they left.

Mohanjit Singh, a resident of Rajguru Nagar, said he was stopped and made to wait just minutes away from his house. “I had gone to attend the final rites of one of my relatives. While returning home, I was stuck in the jam on Ludhiana-Ferozepur road for several hours. When I finally managed to reach Rajguru Nagar, the police stopped me metres away from my house.”

Ravinder Sharma, a resident of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, said leaders should take care to not harass locals for their rallies.