Hundreds of farmers on Tuesday staged a protest against the state government for not keeping its promise, made before the Assembly elections.
Around 4,000 farmers first assembled in front of a gurdwara at Phase VIII. From there they marched towards YPS Chowk, where they were stopped on the Mohali-Chandigarh border by the Chandigarh Police.
The farmers, led by Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of the Bharti Kisan Union, sat on dharna on the main road, which was barricaded by the Chandigarh Police.
Raising anti-government slogans, the protesters carried some bundles of papers, which, according to them, were signed by at least six lakh farmers of the state.
Addressing the gathering, Rajewal said that Congress government in the state had cheated them by not fulfilling its promises. “Instead of waiving our loans, the government has increased power rates, which resulted in an extra burden of Rs 1,200 crore on farmers of the state,” said Rajewal.
Later, a delegation of the farmers met Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and submitted a memorandum to him. Commuters faced inconvenience due to the blockage of the main road. Traffic jams were also witnessed in Phases VII, VIII and the road separating Sectors 51 and 52 in Chandigarh.
