Activists of Punjab Youth Congress (PYC), under the leadership of its president, Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, today staged protest outside the state assembly against alleged drug menace, power shortage and "lawlessness" in the state.
Several PYC activists tried to break the police barricades laid on road leading to the state assembly, forcing police to use water cannons.
Some 200 PYC activists were taken into preventive custody and later released, police said.
In the assembly, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa presented the budget for year 2014-15.
The activists made a vain attempt to lay seize to the assembly as heavy police deployment prevented them from doing so.
Later, the the activists staged a dharna on the road leading towards the assembly.
Chaudhary said that the activists demanded immediate suspension and resignation of Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander after their names had reportedly cropped up in "patronising" drug smuggling.
However, both Majithia and Chander had repeatedly denied the accusations against them.
Chaudhary alleged after the revelations made by drug smuggler Jagdish Bhola, who was arrested by police last year, following which a multi-crore synthetic drug racket was smashed.
One needs no more testimony and evidence that the entire state political apparatus is "hand in glove" with drug mafia, he alleged.
"Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is validating the fact that the whole drug trade which runs into multi crores is booming under the support and patronage of the Punjab government," he alleged.
Besides, the PYC activists also protested "frequent and unannounced power cuts" in the state.
He alleged the state government had been able to provide uninterrupted power supply for only just two to three hours to farmers, as against its promise of eight hours of supply.
He also lambasted the government for alleged lawlessness in the state.
