Current affairs

Bharat Bandh: Entire nation to stand in solidarity with farmers as they advance their protests!

By alagu, 07 December, 2020
India, Delhi, Farmers, Farm Bills

With the view of arming the agitating farmers, the entire nation is preparing to hold a Bharat Bandh on Tuesday to stand in solidarity with the peasants in powering their demand to the Center to repeal the three controversial farm bills, which the peasants say would harm and undermine their lives and the guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP). 

The nationwide strike, which would get unfold in the wake of the Center's stubborn notion of not tearing off the farm bills, has been expected to unveil large-scale disruptions in Delhi and across the country in the movements of essentials as the farmers have been torching no sign of backing off from the protests amid the failures of repeated episodes of talks between the Central government and farmers' unions. 

In an unprecedented scene of protests, the farmers from several parts of the country- importantly from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have camped in Delhi by installing blockades across the major highways in the national capital. Thousands of farmers have been staging protests for the twelfth straight day on Monday with the sole motive of urging the Center to repeal the farm bills which they fear would destroy their livelihoods and MSP by pumping in the private players into the agricultural sectors. 

Amid the incessant protests, the Central government had invited the farmers for talks with the view of mitigating the agitation and arriving at an amicable resolution. The multiple levels of talks had failed to reach a consensus with the impasse between the Center and farmers on the respective approaches of not giving any assurances to repeal the farm bills and not showing any sign of backing off from the protests till their demand of revoking the bills is met. 

Last week, the farmers' unions had called for Bharat Bandh on December 8 to advance and expand their protests nationwide, which would add more pressure to the Center and is expected to create an ardent impact in daily lives by causing major disruptions. As the farmers' unions are preparing for the Bharat Bandh, the entire nation has expressed its solidarity with the farmers in the nationwide strike. Along with farmers' unions, several transport unions across the country had reserved its participation in the bandh to support farmers.

According to reports, the Bharat Bandh has been expected to affect various services across the nation. Delhi Taxi Tourists Transporters Association President had said that several auto and taxi unions in the national capital will join the nationwide strike on Tuesday in support of the farmers'. The representatives of various bus associations had met the protesting farmers at the Singhu border on Sunday and extended their support to the peasants.  

Along with the unions of transportations, several national and state political parties had supported the farmers and reserved its participation in the nationwide strike. The spokesperson of the Congress party said that the national party would be extending its whole-hearted support to the Bharat Bandh on December 8 and the all the district and state headquarters of the Congress party will participate in the bandh and the party members will hold demonstrations in support of the farmers with the view of making the strike successful. 

Delhi Chief Minister and Chief of Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal said that all AAP workers across the country will support the nationwide strike. Kejriwal had appealed to the citizens to support the farmers in their demand. Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "The Aam Aadmi Party fully supports the Bharat Bandh call made by farmers on December 8 and the party workers across the country will support it peacefully. There is an appeal to all countrymen that everyone should support the farmers and participate in it. 

While many transport unions in Delhi had announced their participation in the nationwide strike, some of the unions had said that they will support farmers' demand and they won't be taking part in the bandh on Tuesday. These unions had said that the demands of farmers must be met by the government but it should not be achieved by causing disruptions to the ordinary people. The reports say that DMK President MK Stalin has appealed to the farmers' unions, trade associations, labor unions, and government employees' to support Bharat Bandh on Tuesday and the actor turned politician Kamal Haasan had also added his voice of support for the bandh and urged the Center to ear the demand from the peasants. 

A delegation of his Makkal Needhi Maiam had met the protesting farmers in Delhi and assured the party's support to them. The reports say banking services may also get affected on Tuesday as some of the bank unions' had expressed their solidarity to the farmers. While the supply of produces and vegetables had already been affected in the wake of the incessant protests, which resulted in an increase in the price of the products, the nationwide strike is expected to hit the supplies of milk, vegetables, and movements of vehicles on Tuesday. 

While most of the political parties had sent support and solidarity to the farmers, West Bengal ruling Trinamool Congress party has on Monday said that it will not extend its support to the Bharat Bandh call. Saugata Roy, the senior leader of the party, had said that the party will stand with farmers in their cause but its workers won't get participated in the nationwide strike on Tuesday.  On Sunday, the leaders of 11 parties, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, DMK Chief MK Stalin, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, and Communist parties have said that they would extend solidarity to the farmers on the Bharat Bandh. 

 

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