As the Nav Inquilab Yatra of the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) moved ahead from Kharar to Fatehgarh Sahib on its second day on Tuesday,the factionalism in the party cadres came to the fore. Instead of putting up a united show,each faction of the Congress and the Youth Congress tried to make its presence felt. The number of participants on the 19-km route had also thinned visibly compared to the first day of the march. However,even the reduced numbers managed to impede traffic flow on the busy highway. With the participants walking escorted by vehicles carrying big hoardings of All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi,vehicular traffic on the route slowed to a crawl while the police turned a blind eye to the disruption. Addressing gatherings in Kharar,Gharuan,Morinda and Sanghol,where the march halted for Tuesday night,PYC president and MP Ravneet Singh Bittu lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal,whom he accused of working against the interests of Punjab. Due to their anti-Punjab policies,the growth of the state has gone down and it has been placed at 17th rank,much below Bihar, he said,adding,Monday was the saddest day in the history of Punjab because the ruling SAD,which took on the Punjabi Morcha in 1966,forgot to celebrate Punjab Day. On Wednesday,the march will reach Khanna after covering another 18 km from Sanghol.
