Chandigarh, July 21, 2022 (Kulbir Kalsi)
Thousands of Congress workers from across the state staged a massive protest demonstration here today, against the implication of party president Ms Sonia Gandhi in a false case by the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the centre and her questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi today.
Despite heavy rains, thousands of workers, who had come from all over the state, converged on the Punjab Congress Bhawan for their onward march towards the Raj Bhawan. They were stopped on the way with water cannons and were later detained by the police.
The demonstration was led by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa. Other leaders present included former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former ministers Pargat Singh, Aruna Chaudhary, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Rana Gurjit Singh, Lakhvir Singh Lakha, BArinder Dhillon, Darshan Singh Brar, Dalbir Gold, Barindermeet Singh Phara, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Capt Sandeep Sandhu and several sitting and former MLAs.
Addressing the protestors, Warring said, it was not the fight of Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi alone, but it was the fight of each and every citizen of the country who supported democracy, freedom and liberty.
He said the BJP government at the centre was badly mistaken if it thought that it could intimidate the Congress party this way. He expressed his gratitude to party workers who had joined the protest despite heavy rains that lashed the region overnight.
At the same time, Warring cautioned the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab also, against victimising the party leaders and workers. “We do not like to scare and threaten people by keeping red diaries, but we know how to defend ourselves”, he said, while warning that, “times will change and everyone must remember that justice moves in a complete circle and everyone will be held accountable”.
The PCC president, while thanking the workers, said, there will be more such protests needed to be staged in future against the dictatorial attitude of the governments both at the centre and in the state.
Speaking on the occasion, the CLP Leader Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the central government for trying to intimidate the Congress leadership. He said the government also knew that nothing was going to come out of this case but it only wanted to create a false perception. He pointed out, earlier Rahul Gandhi was questioned for five days, for twelve hours each day. And now, he added, they have questioned Ms Gandhi.
The CLP leader said, not only the Congressmen, but the entire country was upset and disappointed that the Modi government was intimidating the members of a family which had sacrificed so much for the country, before and after the Independence. “Imagine if someone of the stature of Ms Gandhi, who has remained president of the Congress for over 18 years and chairperson of the UPA for ten years, is being treated like this, what should be the fate of a common man”, he asked.
Assuring the Congress workers that the party will always stand by them, he said, the Congress party has seen even worse times than this and these times will change and the coming time will belong to the Congress and the Congress workers. He also lashed out at all those leaders, who were relaxing their time in foreign countries, leaving the party and its workers to fight their own battle.
Addressing the gathering, former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa condemned the central and the state government for victimizing their political opponents. He said they were two sides of the same coin.
He lashed out at the AAP government in Punjab, saying it was the most corrupt party and the government, which had even sold the Rajya Sabha tickets. He also questioned the intimidation of Congress leaders merely on the statements of some people made under coercion. “If I say vigilance chief or the chief secretary demanded Rs 10 lakh bribe from me, will you arrest them”, he asked, while referring to fake and flimsy grounds on which Congress leaders and workers were being booked by the vigilance.
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