Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party, which is eyeing to wrest power in Punjab assembly polls, on Monday held protest against the alleged multi-crore foodgrain scam in the state here near Mohali.
Amidst heavy police deployment at the entry points of Chandigarh and Mohali, large number of AAP workers participated in the protest against SAD-BJP led Punjab government.
AAP has also plans to ‘gherao’ Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s residence in Chandigarh on the issue of foodgrain scam.
In an another development, Punjab government on Monday inserted advertisements in newspapers claiming that account of every procured grain is maintained by Punjab procurement agencies and FCI.
It claimed there was a “conspiracy of anti-Punjab elements” to “defame” Punjab and said bogey of “missing wheat” was raised by opposition parties for their “political gains”.
“Beware of those (who are) out to defame Punjab,” said an advertisement.
Police have deployed riot control vehicles, fire fighting engines, ambulances to restrain the AAP activists from entering Chandigarh, officials said here.
On Sunday, the Punjab Chief Minister had announced to cancel that he will cancel his previous engagements in the wake of AAP’s protest.
Badal on Sunday had said that he would instead “remain available” at his residence to receive “any responsible political leader or representative for discussion on any issue concerning the people of the state.”
Referring to AAP’s protest, Badal had said, “This party had already delivered the most treacherous betrayal to the farmers of the state by backing out on the SYL issue.”
“They cannot now pretend to be the sympathisers and supporters of the same farmers,” Punjab CM said.
