Farmers Movement Archive

Bharat bandh call over farm reform bills: UP police put on alert

The Uttar Pradesh police have asked its personnel in all the districts of the state to make arrangements for maintenance of law and order on Friday when a coalition of farmers’ organisations and political parties will stage protests against the farm reform bills passed in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.Director general of police HC Awasthy said he had alerted the police department in all districts about the protests. He said the UP police were making necessary arrangements.The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Farmers’ Union (AIFU), All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM) have come on a common platform and announced a nationwide shutdown on September 25.Farmers’ Protest LIVE: Police deployed in Punjab’s Amritsar, LudhianaThe Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has given a call for a state-wide chakka jam (road blockade) in UP on Friday. “We have asked workers and farmers to organise a chakka jam in all the districts between 11am and 2pm,” BKU state president Rajveer Singh Jadaun said.“We appeal to people to lend their support to the chakka jam by keeping markets closed and transport off the roads,” he added.Also Read: Bharat Bandh: Nationwide farmers’ strike today, rail, road transport to be affected. All you need to knowSome farmer organisations in the state have, however, come out in support of the farm reform legislations. The Shekhar Dixit-led Rashtriya Kisan Manch said the bills would benefit farmers with the freedom to sell their produce anywhere in the country and save them from the “exploitation of middlemen”, reported news agency PTI.Parliament has passed three farm reform bills -- the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill -- in the Monsoon Session, which concluded on Wednesday. The Opposition has called these bills “anti-farmers”.

Hindustan Times

25-09-2020

Lucknow