Farmers Movement Archive

Trader unions, truckers asked to support bandh

Bathinda: A day before Friday’s Bharat Bandh to mark four months of their protest on the Delhi borders, the farmer unions were trying to get trade, transport and employee unions on their side. The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha has called for shutting down railways, roadways and businesses for 12 hours, from 6am to 6pm and planned demonstrations across the country to force the central government to repeal the three new agri-marketing laws. The SKM has promised to let through ambulances and any vehicle taking students to their examinations. On the SKM’s call, a few states had joined another bandh on December 8, 2020. The morcha said the shutdown was for a law on MSP (minimum support price) and state procurement. It also asks for a withdrawal of all police cases against farmers, a rollback of the proposed electricity and air pollution bills, and cheaper fuels. Punjab’s farmer unions have marked the spots where they’ll stop buses and trains. Speakers are installed at some place to make appeals to the shopkeepers to lower their shutters and ask the private bus operators to stay off road. Punjab Kisan Union president Ruldu Singh Mansa said: “We have prepared hard for this bandh. We want to show Prime Minister Narendra Modi how much support we have and that there will be no retreat.” BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said the protests will be in 16 districts of Punjab and continue beyond Friday.

The Times of India

2021-03-26

Chandigarh