Chandigarh, September 15
Led by the newly appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, Sachin Pilot, tens of thousands of Congress workers today marched towards the house of Finance Minister Harpal Cheema demanding his resignation for abetment of the suicide of a Dalit, Gulzar Singh.
However, the protestors were prevented from reaching Cheema’s house by a heavy contingent of police. Besides, the police also used water cannons to block the protestors from marching ahead.
Several Congress workers, including senior leader Kuljit Nagra, were injured due to the heavy force of the water cannons.
Speaking on the occasion, Sachin Pilot said that the Congress had nothing personal against the Finance Minister. But, he asked, doesn’t the law demand registration of an FIR followed by a detailed probe when a person has mentioned the minister’s name in his dying declaration?
Pilot said that Gulzar Singh’s suicide was reflective of what was happening in Punjab, much against the claims made by the Aam Aadmi Party. He said the situation is such that a poor Dalit had to pay with his life just because he raised a question about the free availability of drugs to which his son had fallen a victim.
He reminded the AAP that it had announced the appointment of a Dalit Deputy CM. What to speak of a Dalit Deputy CM, the Dalits like Gulzar Singh are forced to commit suicide under the AAP regime, he remarked.
Reminding Arvind Kejriwal of the claims he made before the elections that drugs will be finished within three months of forming the government, he said, after about five years of the AAP rule, now the ‘chitta’ (drugs) were so easily available that there was “home delivery” (of drugs).
Expressing his profound gratitude to the party workers for mobilising in such huge numbers at short notice, Pilot assured each one of them that the Congress party will always stand by them. He said he, as the representative of the party high command, will be at the forefront of every fight and struggle to get justice. He said he will not leave any stone unturned to restore the dignity and honour of each and every Congress worker.
Senior Punjab Congress leaders, including PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the CLP Leader Partap Singh Bajwa and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, while speaking on the occasion, lashed out at the AAP government, saying it had proved to be the worst ever in the state. They said Bhagwant Mann had proved to be the most disastrous Chief Minister the state had.
All the Congress leaders assured Pilot their complete support and cooperation to ensure the party’s victory in the ensuing elections. They said their first and foremost mission and motive was to ensure that the party won the 2027 assembly elections and the leadership issue would be decided later by the high command.
As many as 150 mobile phones were stolen during the protest by a Delhi-based gang
Meanwhile, during the protest as many as 150 mobile phones have been stolen by a Delhi-based gang. According to several Congress leaders, the mobile phones that were mainly stolen were high-end iPhones. “We have been able to caught two of the gang members and have handed them over to the police”, said a senior Congress leader.