Youth Cong stir over oil prices gives commuters the jitters

Tribune Reporters

Zirakpur, June 9

Hundreds of Indian Youth Congress workers came out with their tractors on the Zirakpur-Patiala highway on Saturday in protest against fuel prices under a nationwide agitation, launched by the Congress on May 30. 

Commuters had a tough time as the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace due to the protest, causing a massive jam on the road. As part of the protest rally, the party supporters on their tractors gathered near the Chhat intersection near Zirakpur to march forward towards the Rajpura side.

PPCC president, Sunil Jakhar, flagged off the rally at Banur, Patiala. The rally, which started from the Khizargarh toll plaza at 10 am near Banur and culminated at Gagan Chowk, Rajpura, saw a huge participation of IYC workers.

As many as 2,000 tractors, as claimed by the Congress, were present in the rally. Many Congress leaders, including Punjab Youth Congress president Amarpreet Singh Lally, addressed the workers after the rally. The police scrambled to control the massive traffic snarl.

The traffic going towards Patiala was diverted to the other side of the highway. The commuters going to Patiala faced a hard time as it took over an hour to cover a distance of 3 km. The jam  lasted for over an hour.

Sunil Jakhar, while talking to The Tribune, said: “The Modi government betrayed the farmer community by not implementing the Swaminathan report as the BJP had promised the same in their poll manifesto in 2014. Allegation of betrayal against Congress can never be made as we had never promised it, but if we come to power in 2019, we will do it within 10 days.”

IYC president Keshav Yadav said: “The rally is against the Modi government’s ill-planned decisions being taken on the issues of unemployment, inflation, farmers, Dalit and women atrocities.”

Surprisingly, state Health Minister Brahm Mohindra also stuck in the jam while on his way to Patiala.