Protesting Cong workers prevented from marching towards Union minister's house in Phagwara

Congress party workers protesting Saturday against the three farm bills passed recently by Parliament were prevented from marching towards the residence of Union minister Som Parkash. Led by Congress MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal, the protesting party workers wanted to gherao the house of Hoshiarpur MP Som Parkash, also the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

Congress party workers protesting Saturday against the three farm bills passed recently by Parliament were prevented from marching towards the residence of Union minister Som Parkash. Led by Congress MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal, the protesting party workers wanted to gherao the house of Hoshiarpur MP Som Parkash, also the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. But they were stopped by the police a few km away, near KG Resort on the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road.

They staged a sit-in there and shouted slogans against the BJP-led Central government and sought Som Parkash’s resignation. While dubbing the farm Bills as “black laws”, they demanded they be rolled back.

The Congress workers had taken out a tractor rally from Chabbewal in Hoshiarpur and reached Phagwara. Later, they gave a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Verma over the farm Bills. They also gave him a bottle, saying it contained “farmers' blood” and said it should be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing these “anti-farmer” Bills. Parliament had recently passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020; Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020; and Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020. These are yet to get the assent of the President.