Congress stages protest outside Payal MLA’s office under leadership of former MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha

Doraha, March 16 (Amrish Anand):The Congress party on Sunday organised a massive protest demonstration in Payal under the leadership of former MLA S.Lakhvir Singh Lakha, targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for allegedly failing to fulfil its promise of providing financial assistance to women.The protest was held under the directions of Punjab Congress president S.Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, where a large number of women and Congress workers gathered and staged a sit-in outside the election office of Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura. The protesters also raised slogans against the Punjab government and the local MLA.Addressing the gathering, former MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha said that ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, the AAP had promised to provide ₹1,000 per month to women in Punjab and had announced that the scheme would be implemented from April 2022. However, he alleged that despite nearly four years having passed, the scheme has not been fully implemented.Lakha claimed that each eligible woman is now entitled to approximately ₹48,000 in pending financial assistance, which the government has yet to release. He accused the state government of securing power by making tall promises during the elections and later backing away from them.He further said that mothers and daughters from the Payal constituency had gathered in large numbers to demand their rights and assured that the Congress party would continue to stand firmly with them. Lakha added that the party would raise its voice for every section of society that, according to him, was facing injustice under the present government and would continue its struggle for the rights of the people.Other Congress leaders also criticised the policies of the state government during the protest and warned that if the promise made to women was not fulfilled soon, the agitation would be intensified.Among those who addressed the gathering were Mahila Congress president Deepy Mangat, Bikkar Singh, Gill Ber Kalan, Gurmukh Pandher, Mandeep Mangat and Jassa Roriyan, besides several other Congress leaders and workers.The Congress leaders concluded by stating that the democratic protest would continue until the government fulfils its commitments made to the people.