*Congressmen protesting inflation showered with water cannons, detained*
CHANDIGARH, August 5: Thousands of Congressmen today protested against the backbreaking inflation in the country and imposition of extortionist GST on essential items.
After staging a protest at the Congress Bhawan, they tried to march towards Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to the Governor. They were stopped on the way with police using brute force including water canons to stop them. They were detained and prevented from reaching Raj Bhawan.
Speaking on the occasion, the Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring lashed out at the BJP led NDA government at the centre for being so insensitive towards the day to day needs of the common man as inflation had made the very survival difficult.
The memorandum addressed to the Governor drew his attention towards the “backbreaking inflation that has hit the entire country, including Punjab, due to unilateral decisions being taken by the union government even impinging upon the spirit of federal structure of the constitution”.
“It is unfortunate that the government of India having absolute direct and indirect control over every economic activity in the country has not taken any remedial measures to arrest the rising inflation with a view to showcase its supremacy out of its adherence to majoritarianism”, the memorandum said, while adding, the basic essential commodities like food have become unaffordable even for the middle-class Indian, leave aside those on a lesser economic footing.
“A salaried person, today, finds it difficult to feed his family with his monthly income for the entire month”, it added.
“As if the rising and backbreaking inflation was not enough, the callously insensitive government of India imposed the Goods and Services Tax, even on food items, completely forgetting the impact of COVID, which has not yet left the doorsteps of the common man completely. It is as good as taxing our entire life”, it said.
In specific reference to Punjab, the memorandum said, the demography of Punjab has already enough of its distinct problems. Given that this is an agrarian state, with a seventy percent population dependent on agriculture, the failing agriculture economy has further complicated the problems further for the people of Punjab, it read, adding, farmers have been committing suicide regularly just because of financial distress and the rising inflation is one of the prime factors.
Among those present included, Pratap Singh Bajwa, CLP Leader, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Working President,Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Om Prakash Soni, MLA, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, MLA, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, MLABarindermeet Singh Pahra, MLARana Gurjit Singh, MLAPargat Singh, MLASukhwinder Singh Kotli, MLADr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, MLAVikramjit Singh ChaudharyPawan Adia, Ex-MLAKushaldeep Singh Dhillon, Ex-MLASantokh Singh Bhalipur, Ex-MLATarsem Singh SialkeCapt. Sandeep SandhuBalkar Singh Sandhu, MayorDeepinder Singh DhillonMohit Mohindra,Vijay Sharma, Tinku, Sanjay Talwar,
Harinder Pal Singh Harry Mann,
Khushbaz Jatana,
Chaudhary Darshan Mangupur, Pawan Adhia and others.
