BJP leaders, traders ‘rough up’ MC chief’s secy, trigger protest

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22

High drama was witnessed at the Municipal Corporation office here today when a group of state BJP leaders and Grain Market Association office-bearers allegedly roughed up a staff member of the MC Commissioner’s office over a meeting with the civic body chief.

One of the delegation members, (Gorav) Goyal, allegedly manhandled and abused MC Commissioner’s personal secretary Jatin Saini when he asked them to wait for sometime as the official was already in a meeting.

In his complaint to the Sector 17 police station SHO, Saini said, “He obstructed me from performing my duty, manhandled me and used abusive language. He also threatened me with dire consequences. It is requested that appropriate legal action be taken against Goyal.”

As per the complaint, Rambir Bhatti, state general secretary of the Chandigarh unit of the BJP, and other members were present there.

Around 10 state BJP leaders and Grain Market Association office-bearers were stopped from meeting MC Commissioner KK Yadav around 1 pm. Sources said Saini asked the BJP leaders to wait as a former Congress Mayor had gone to meet KK Yadav. This enraged the BJP workers, who had come to meet the MC Commissioner regarding the demands of the Grain Market Association to put the enhanced parking charges on hold.

Saini told the BJP men that the former Mayor had a prior appointment with Yadav. Hence he had gone inside to meet him.

BJP delegation members came out of the office and resorted to sloganeering and sat in protest. City BJP president Arun Sood, Asha Jaswal and Deputy Mayor Jagtar Singh Dhillon intervened to disperse the protesting members. Meanwhile, members of five-six employees’ unions gathered outside the MC office in protest against the manhandling of an employee as the police kept an eye.

However, during the melee and subsequent protests, Covid protocols were flouted at every step in the MC office as well as the Grain Market Association meeting at Satsang Bhavan in Sector 26.

BJP leaders’ main grouse

The main grouse of BJP leaders against the Administration is that despite being the ruling party, officials conveniently overlook their opinion. Before going to meet the MC Commissioner, Rambir Bhatti and other Grain Market Association office-bearers had addressed a gathering at Satsang Bhavan in the morning. In the meeting, they rued that officers come here just for three years, but resort to high-handedness and take arbitrary decisions. “The BJP, once known as the party of traders, has ruined the trader community. Demonetisation, GST and now the lockdown has broken the backbone of traders,” said an office-bearer of the association.

Cong panel seeks FIR against culprits

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee objected to the behaviour of some BJP leaders, who manhandled MC Commissioner’s personal secretary Jatin Saini. The committee demanded the registration of an FIR. City Congress president Pardeep Chhabra and other senior leaders said instead of working for the welfare of city residents, the BJP was busy serving the interests of party leaders during the past five years. TNS