Braving rain and cold, Haryana Congress leaders led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda hold protest march in Chandigarh

Braving rain and bone chilling cold, Haryana Congress leaders led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday held a march to Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh demanding a special Assembly session to move a no-confidence motion against the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government.

Chandigarh police had barricaded the road leading to the Raj Bhavan to halt the protesters, due to which the Congress leaders had to wait outside in the rain for the Governor to give them an appointment.

Holding placards, the Congress leaders also raised slogans against the Khattar government demanding repeal of the farm laws enacted by the Union government.

Talking to media persons, Hooda said they had been seeking an appointment with the Governor for long as Opposition parties had their own importance in a democracy. "To convey the voice of the people to the Governor is the constitutional right of the Opposition, and it is the Governor’s duty to listen to the Opposition. But by not giving time to meet us, the Governor is not discharging his constitutional obligation," Hooda said.

He said the Congress will bring amendments to the MSP guarantee in the APMC Act and a no-confidence motion against the government because the BJP-JJP coalition government had lost public confidence.

“The situation has become such that due to opposition from the people, the chief minister, ministers and MLAs backing the government are also avoiding going to their constituencies," he said.

The Congress will bring a resolution against the NDA's farm laws in the next session of the Haryana assembly, he said, adding that the party will also move a resolution to demand amendment to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act to ensure that farmers get guaranteed minimum support price (MSP).

Hooda said that there must be a provision of legal action against those buying crops below the MSP.

The agitation against the farm laws is completely non-political and farmers' organisations are receiving support from all sections of society, he said. The former Haryana chief minister said all party MLAs condemned “tactics” used by the government to "suppress" the movement.

"It is a democratic right of farmers to agitate for their demands. In such a situation, shutting down the Internet, electricity, water supply and sanitation facilities (at protest sites in Delhi) is inhuman. The government should resume all facilities immediately," Hooda said.