Farmers Movement Archive

Bharat Bandh by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha fails to make an impact

NAGPUR: The Bharat Bandh call by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday against the three farm laws failed to evoke any response in the region. There was a poor response in the state too. The bandh had been called in the light of more than 100 days of the farmers’ protest at the Delhi border. Even as business continued as usual in the city, no impact was seen in the rural areas too. Farm leaders from the SKM, however, said there was no active participation from workers of both the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sandeep Gidde-Patil, one of the morcha leaders in Maharashtra, admitted the response was nominal. Patil said even restrictions due to Covid had its impact and volunteers did not come out insisting shopkeepers to down their shutters. Even traders had requested to continue operations as already there were losses due to the lockdown, he said. Sources say even the farm produce markets remained open in the interiors. Devanand Pawar, a Congress leader from Yavatmal, said, “Instead of forcing shops to shut, party workers held a day-long hunger strike to register their protest.” Patil said there was a nominal response in the 19 districts of Maharashtra where the Kisan Morcha or its allied outfits are active. The response was slightly better in districts like Nanded, Jalgaon and Nashik, he said.

The Times of India

2021-03-27

Nagpur