Congress asks Admn to withdraw order banning protests in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 21

Holding the city BJP responsible, the Congress today asked the UT Administration to take back its order of not allowing protests in the city except at Sector 25. It demanded the decision on imposition of the prohibitory orders on assembly under Section 144 across the city should be withdrawn.

At a press conference, councillors of the Congress alleged it was an attempt to muzzle their voice a few months before the MC elections. “The BJP-ruled administration has got scared due to our agitations,” said HS Lucky, chief spokesperson.

City Congress chief Subhash Chawla alleged: “The BJP is making all efforts to stop us from raising people’s issues. Earlier, they got cases registered against us during our protest against rising prices. Now, before polls, they got two-month prohibitory orders imposed in the city.”

The Opposition party also blamed the BJP for the attack on Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma and senior BJP leader Sanjay Tandon in Sector 48 on July 17.

“It was the BJP which perpetrated these attacks to justify the imposition of Section 144 prohibitory orders in the entire city,” alleged Chawla.

Congress councillor and leader of the Opposition in MC House Devinder Singh Babla said: “People are still getting water bills based on hiked rates and high garbage collection bills. If such bills are issued next month too, then I will sit on a fast.”

“Instead of 100 people at one spot to protest, we will have five people in 20 spots. From August 1, we have planned new protests on city issues. We have prepared a chargesheet kind of document against the BJP-ruled MC,” said Chawla.