Road smooth, but sarcasm gives Sukhbir a bumpy ride

CHANDIGARH: It's Gandhigiri with a twist. On Thursday, a group of protesters in Ropar erected flexi-boards, thanking Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal for taking a ride on a 26-km potholed stretch between Ropar and Nurpur Bedi. The district authorities had re-carpeted the road with loose soil so that Badal does not have a bumpy ride.
The message on the boards, laced with satire to draw Badal's attention read, "Thanks Badal sahib, ghat toh ghat tuhaade aan karke..ais sadak ch mitti bhari gayee, kripa karke, ilaake dia baaki sadka da wi daura karo, taa ke unna khaddeya noo mitti ta naseeb ho sake (Thanks Badal sahib, it's because of your visit that these potholed roads have been re-carpeted with soil.We urge you to visit other parts of this area so that potholes there too can be covered with soil, if not tar, bitumen and asphalt).
Ropar cops failed to understand the sarcasm, but an intelligence wing official got the sting in the jibe and immediately sent his men to remove the boards. "The protesters hardly stayed there for a few minutes which is why we could not spot them earlier. We removed the boards wherever we found them later," said SSP Ropar Varinderpal Singh.
An embarrassed Badal junior, who was scheduled to attend the birth anniversary function of a local religious leader Sant Chetnanand ji Bhuriwale a few kilometres away, was quick to announce release of funds for the road. "The connectivity of these roads would be the same as that in Bathinda," Badal later told reporters.
The protesters said that they resorted to this non-violent method as they also wanted to register their opposition to the Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act announced on July 22. According to the new Act, dharna, bandh or a demonstration leading to blockade of rail or road traffic attracts a fine of Rs 1 lakh and punishment up to one-year jail in Punjab.
"This draconian law has left us with no other option than to erect these boards peacefully without blocking the roads" said Chadha.