The Punjab Congress launched a statewide protest demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against private sugar mills for not clearing dues of sugarcane growers. Leading the protest outside Wahid Sandhar Sugar Mill here, Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa also asked chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to call an emergency session of the Vidhan Sabha on the issue. He also asked the CM to work out the modalities to keep the sugar sector functional keeping in mind the interests of farmers and millers. Hundreds of farmers and Congress leaders, including party spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira, former minister Joginder Singh Mann, former MLA Amarjit Singh Samra, Ludhiana (north) MLA Rakesh Pandey, Ludhiana (central) MLA Surinder Dawar, Ludhiana (west) MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Mukerian MLA Rajneesh Babbi and Qadian MLA Charanjit Kaur Bajwa took part in the protest. Bajwa advised the CM to sit on fast-unto-death outside the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get `51,000 crore loan of the farmers waived. The state party chief said he would be the second person after Badal to join the fastunto-death and make “sacrifice” for the farmers and Punjabis.