Farmers Movement Archive

Bharat Bandh: Trains halted, highways blocked as farmers’ strike impacts states

The Bharat Bandh call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a collective of over 30 farmer organisations, affected Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan and parts of northern Madhya Pradesh, but its impact in the rest of the country was limited to opposition parties and farm bodies holding symbolic protests.The 10-hour-long national strike was to mark one year of the Centre’s refusal to revoke three farm laws that the organisations are dead against.“There was an unprecedented response to Bharat Bandh,” SKM said in a statement. “The bandh was observed in almost all the states and memorandums were submitted to local government officials.”Among opposition leaders, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to agitating farmers and listen to their legitimate grievances. “Kisano ka ahimsak satyagraha aaj bhi akhand hai, lekin shoshankar sarkar ko ye nahi pasand hai, isliye aaj Bharat Bandh hai (Farmers’ non-violent satyagraha is resolute even today, but the exploitative government does not like this and that’s why it is Bharat Bandh today),” he tweeted.The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said the strike was “politically motivated”.“The bandh is politically-motivated to mislead the people and create a divide in the society. Modi ji has tirelessly worked for benefit of farmers and have ensure they get maximum from participation of private players in agriculture sector while protecting their interests,” Reddy said.In Punjab, the protesters laid siege to nearly 500 locations, blocking interstate highways and key rail routes. Educational institutions and government offices reported thin attendance. According to the railways, 14 trains were cancelled, eight were rescheduled, and two short terminated in the Ferozepur rail division. In the Ambala division, 19 trains were cancelled and 15 rescheduled.Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi appealed the Centre to repeal the three farm laws. He held a meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and passed a resolution against the laws. “We urge the central government to repeal the three farm laws and accept demand of farmers,” a government statement read.“It is a near-total bandh in Punjab. The response is overwhelming. We are thankful to social organisations and farmer groups who have come out in support,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), a constituent of SKM.In Haryana, the highways from Rohtak to Delhi, Hisar and Chandigarh were blocked for 10 hours, and rail traffic was hit due to protests in Sonepat and Jind districts. The strike also evoked total response in Rohtak, Hisar and Bhiwani, as most traders kept their business establishments closed. The entry and exit gates of Metro stations from Tikri to Bahadurgarh on the outskirts of Delhi were closed, officials said.SKM leader Inderjit Singh said, “Shopkeepers and small factory owners also shut their establishments in support of farmers till 4pm. We occupied highways and rail tracks to raise our voice, though medical staff and ambulances were allowed passage.”In western Uttar Pradesh, farm leader Rakesh Takait led the protests. Highways and roads were blocked in close to 200 locations including the Delhi-Agra expressway. There was, however, little or impact of the strike in central, eastern or Bundelkhand regions of the state. The strike was peaceful as adequate police and security was deployed at different places and they helped stranded vehicles to travel through alternative routes, officials said.Bhartiya Kisan Union’s media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said the strike was successful, and received support from lawyers and traders across districts. “We would continue our fight for rights of farmers,” Malik said.In Madhya Pradesh, where protests were held at agriculture produce markets (mandis), some shops remained closed in cities such as Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain and Mandsaur. In Bhopal’s Karond Mandi, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh of the Congress party joined the protest, and requested farmer leaders to invite politicians from both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party to fight against the central government’s three farm bills.The response in Rajasthan was mixed, with farmer organisations taking out rallies in every district, but roads were blocked only in eastern and northern parts of the state. Convener of the All India Kissan Sabha, Sanjay Madhav, said more such protests will take place in the coming days.In the eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the strike call evoked a tepid response, with political parties such as Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar blocking traffic at some locations in the morning. RJD lawmakers and workers burnt tyres to disrupt traffic and forced closure of shops at several locations.In Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress held symbolic protests, with shops closed in smaller towns having influence of Left labour unions, officials said. There was no impact of the strike in the northeastern states, officials said.Among the southern states, the strike had some impact in Kerala, where the ruling Left and the opposition Congress supported the bandh. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, farmer bodies held symbolic protests in the state capitals, Bengaluru and Chennai, and in some district headquarters.Bengaluru Police arrested some farmers from Maurya Circle in the city to prevent them from protesting, said Kurubur Shanthakumar, a farmer leader from Karnataka.Devendra Sharma, an expert on farm issues, said the government should listen to the farmers as they know what is best for them. “Across the world, there are examples where farmers have lost income in the long run due to the introduction of the corporate sector. Countries have come up with provisions to protect farm produce prices,” he said.(With inputs from state bureaus)

Hindustan Times

28-09-2021

India