Cong to gherao CM’s house today; ‘Rail roko’ on May 2

Excited over the “massive” response to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s tour to Punjab, the party’s state unit has gone into an aggressive mode.

The PPCC today declared two protest programs against, what it dubbed, the “loot” of farmers in grain markets and the delay in payment to them by the SAD-BJP government.

Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar today said the Opposition MLAs would gherao the Chandigarh residence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at 10.30 am tomorrow. PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa has given a separate call for a statewide ‘Rail Roko’ programme between 12 noon and 1 pm on May 2.

Rahul had yesterday held the ruling coalition “responsible for the miseries of the peasants.”

He today suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “focus more on improving the condition of the farmers rather than the hollow talk about his ‘Make in India’ campaign”.

“The farmers of Punjab have been nourishing the nation, but the PM is not talking about them, and that too at a time when they are under stress due to non-lifting of their crop,” Rahul said during his brief interaction with the media in Chandigarh before leaving for New Delhi today.

Bajwa said the “Rail Roko” would be the PPCC’s first phase of “Jan Andolan” against the “anti-people” policies of the Badal government.