Students make inflation-statement by hurling eggs at Montek Singh Ahluwalia

Left leaning students of Presidency College today hurled eggs and tomatoes at Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to protest price rise, but missed their target as he was leaving a seminar.

Eyewitnesses said that student demonstrators belonging to the Students Federation of India, affiliated to the CPI-M, threw eggs and tomatoes and waved black flags at Ahluwalia as he was leaving a UGC-sponsored national seminar on economics in the Presidency College.

But Ahluwalia did not seem to mind being at the receiving end of the protest.

"They are students and they have every right to protest," he said over phone after the incident.

His wife Isher Judge Ahluwalia was also present at the seminar.

The students held posters and placards reading 'American agent Montek Singh go back, UPA budget not for Aam Admi -Answer Montek'.

SFI sources said the demonstration was to protest the price rise and the Centre's 'failure' to implement the Tapas Majumder report for better funding and improving the standard of higher education.

The country has been battling double-digit food inflation for long and the matter has already rocked the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

Another lesser known students' union, USDF, held placards reading: 'We don't want atomic power, but want purchasing power'.

Joint commissioner of police Jawed Shamim said a demonstration was held in the college, but he had no knowledge that eggs and tomatoes were hurled at Ahluwalia.

Police sources said no arrests were made.

"I am not quite sure whether anything was thrown at me," Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said when asked whether anything was hurled at him.

"I went to that college to deliver a lecture before a few hundred students. When I was leaving the college, a small group protested. But I am not sure if anything was thrown at me," Ahluwalia told reporters on the sidelines of a programme at Netaji Bhavan this evening.