New Delhi, 16 March (H.S.): Youth Congress staged a vocal demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Monday against the proposed US-India trade agreement and alleged LPG shortages, led by national president Uday Bhanu Chib with nationwide activists converging.

AICC general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, Sachin Pilot, Punjab Youth Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, AICC minority department head Imran Pratapgarhi, and Rajasthan MLA Manish Yadav joined the fray.

Pilot highlighted India's 88% import reliance on oil and gas, framing cylinder sales amid shortages as a national energy security crisis beyond electoral politics, warning of electoral repercussions.

Surjewala credited party leadership under Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for stalling the deal previously, vowing sustained protests until its cancellation, while slamming government failures on gas availability, price hikes, and black-marketing.

Chib positioned the agitation as vital for protecting farmers and agriculture, urging immediate scrapping of the anti-farmer trade deal and threatening unrelenting street-to-Parliament campaigns.

Extra police deployment barred marchers from Parliament, leading to detentions as tensions peaked.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar