Chandigarh, May 29
The politics of “gheraos” today saw Punjab Congress leaders courting arrest in front of their office here after not being allowed by the police to proceed towards Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s residence.

President of the PPCC Rajinder Kaur Bhattal alleged Badal had again acted in a cowardly manner by not meeting them. She said Congress men were not allowed to proceed to the Badal’s residence because the Chief Minister did not want to confront them.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said the Congress had courted arrest outside the party office deliberately. He had delayed his planned departure to Karnataka in order to be present at the house when the Congress men came, he added.

This time, the Chief Minister had made even more elaborate arrangements to welcome the Congress men. Besides a tent, chairs and snacks stalls, a special ‘shamiana’ had been put up on the premises of the house.

Earlier, Congress leaders, including legislators, former legislators, former Mayors and heads of frontal organisations, gathered at the Punjab Congress Bhawan in the morning. All legislators, except Capt Amarinder Singh and three others, were present. Among the leaders were two MPs and Amarinder loyalist former Patiala Mayor Vishnu Sharma.

When the Congress leaders were not allowed to proceed to the Badal’s residence on their vehicles, they tried to break the police cordon on foot. There was a scuffle in which clothes of a few leaders, including Kisan Wing president Kuljit Nagra, were torn.

Bhattal, along with 180 leaders and workers, was taken to the Sector 17 police station. However, they were released after two hours.

Only the core Bhattal group seemed enthusiastic in raising slogans and joining her in the bus.