Chandigarh, Mar 6: Police used water cannons against Punjab Congress leaders and workers on Friday after they tried to force their way through barricades to ‘gherao’ the state Assembly here as part of a protest against the AAP government.
Police had erected barricades and deployed personnel outside the Punjab Congress office in Sector 15 to prevent party workers from heading towards the Vidhan Sabha.
The party had called for the ‘gherao’ to protest the alleged failure of the Bhagwant Mann government in fulfilling its poll promises.
Before marching towards the Assembly, Congress leaders and workers held a protest, raising slogans against the Mann government.
When the protesters led by Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tried to break through the barricades to proceed towards the Vidhan Sabha, police used water cannons to disperse them.
The strong water pressure knocked off the turbans of several protesters. Warring and other party workers later sat on the road after being stopped from proceeding towards the Assembly.
Speaking to reporters, Warring alleged that the Mann government had “completely failed” on every front. He targeted the state government over its alleged failure to provide Rs 1,000 per month to women, a promise made by the AAP ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.
Warring said the government should give Rs 1,000 per month along with Rs 48,000 to every woman who has accrued over the last four years, as the AAP had promised to provide the financial assistance after coming to power in 2022.
He further alleged that no new medical college had been set up and the pension scheme for employees had not been implemented. The government, he claimed, was spending huge amounts of money on advertisements.
Warring also criticised the government over the alleged deterioration of law and order in the state, claiming that murder and firing incidents were taking place every day, and businessmen were receiving extortion threats from gangsters.
He alleged even policemen were not safe, citing hand grenade blasts at police stations.
“People of Punjab do not have any expectation from the Punjab government,” said Warring while referring to the state budget to be presented by the AAP government on Sunday.
Congress leader Sandeep Sandhu criticised the Chandigarh administration for using water cannons to stop protesters from heading towards the Assembly.
“We have the right to raise our voice outside the assembly… Our voice cannot be suppressed this way. This is murder of democracy,” Sandhu said while condemning the Chandigarh police action against them.
Several party leaders, including Congress MLA Pargat Singh, were present during the protest.
