Thousands of protesters heading for AAP rally were stopped at the Chandigarh border
Highlights
- AAP was planning to protest outside Punjab Chief Minister's home
- Party workers allege their buses were stopped outside Chandigarh
- Protest to highlight government's failure to check corruption: AAP
The Punjab government today tried to outwit Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which organized a massive rally against the ruling Akali Dal.
At the Dussehra ground, workers of the ruling Akali Dal hurriedly made hoardings and put them up prominently. The hoardings screamed that there is no food grain scam in the state as alleged by AAP.
Defying prohibitory orders, AAP volunteers turned up in large numbers and set to work tearing down the hoardings.
The party alleged that its supporters were stopped by the police from entering the city, much less the rally venue.
"We somehow managed to come here last night...but our workers who are coming from different parts of Punjab have been stopped at entry points of Mohali. The Badal government is trying its best to restrict AAP workers from attending the rally," a party worker from Patti said.
AAP leader Bhagwant Mann addresses people at rally in Punjab.
Thousands of AAP workers marched towards Chandigarh to protest outside Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's home but were stopped at the city limits.
Finally, AAP capitulated and five of its leaders drove into town to meet the Chief Minister, whose staff claimed he had cancelled all his appointments.
After the meeting, AAP lawmaker Bhagwant Mann said: "We demanded Rs 15 lakh compensation for farmers' suicide, wheat payments to farmers within a week and a Supreme Court monitored enquiry into the food grain scam."
Mr Badal rejected AAP's demands and told reporters: "These are all baseless allegations...AAP is doing politics. The Punjab government is working for farmers."