Bharat Bandh on December 8: All you need to know about how farmers’ strike will impact India tomorrow
Bharat Bandh 2020 Date, Farmers Protest December 8, 2020: Several political parties, including the Congress, Shiv Sena, AAP, DMK, Kamal Haasan’s MNM, Left parties, the TMC, and the TRS, have joined ranks with the protesting farmers. NDA constituent RLP has also supported the bandh call.
A day after protesting farmers at New Delhi’s borders called for a nationwide general strike, the demand earned support from various opposition parties, including AAP and Congress.
Delhi’s neighbouring state of Haryana, where the farmers’ stir has been gathering momentum, has called a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation ahead of the planned Bharat bandh. Farmers, on their part, said it was mutually agreed by the unions that more farmers from different states would be included in the protest
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The farmers said they consider their demands “non-negotiable”, and the next round of talks will be dominated by the agenda of total repeal of the three farm laws through a special session of Parliament.
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Expecting disruption in road transport in and around Delhi, the Delhi Traffic Police has suggested alternative routes to enter and exit the national capital on December 8 (Tuesday).
Assam opposition parties extend support to farmers’ Bharat Bandh call tomorrow
In Assam, all opposition parties — including Congress, AIUDF, the Left, among others — have come together to extend their “full support” to the Bharat Bandh called by the farmer unions on December 8.A statement from the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee said that apart from supporting the bandh on December 8, the party’s local units will hold protest programs with the farmers in farms across the state and burn effigies of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Assam chapter of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) said that the new farm laws amounted to annulling the Minimum Support Price, which the BJP had promised in its “Vision Document” for Assam.
The statement — which was signed by the Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, Liberal Democratic Party Anchalik Gana Marcha, Assam Jatiya Parishad, Raijor Dol, among others — said that the general public’s food security will be affected by the corporatisation of agriculture that the laws will result in. The statement appealed to all offices and educational institutions, including banks and courts to remain shut, and vehicles to be off the roads on December 8.Peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti — founded by Akhil Gogoi — also extended their support to the bandh. In a statement, the organisation said that they would build a movement against the anti-farmer laws in Assam. “BJP is doing this to appease its corporate friends and the farmers of Assam will never accept these laws”, said the statement.
With first phase of polls on Dec 8, Kerala outfits excludes state from nationwide bandh
Farmer outfits in Kerala have decided to exclude the state from the nationwide bandh called on December 8 (Tuesday) as five districts of the state will go to polls in the first phase of the local body elections scheduled on the day. Voters in local bodies across Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki are set to cast their votes on Tuesday. Considering the hardships the bandh can potentially cause to voters and election officials, farmer outfits are exploring alternate ways of registering their solidarity with the farmers who are protesting on the borders of the national capital against the Centre’s farm laws.
KN Balagopal, state secretary of the CPM-affiliated Kerala Karshaka Sangham, and Lal Varghese Kalapakavady, chief of the Congress-affiliated Karshaka Congress, told reporters that their outfits would carry out peaceful demonstrations at select spots against the farm laws without disturbing the sanctity of the polling process. Both Left parties and the Congress have backed the nationwide bandh.
Delhi Police instructions for traffic movement
The police has advised those commuting to Delhi to use the DND instead of the Noida Link road. Chilla border on Noida link road is closed for traffic due to the farmers’ protest near Gautam Budh Dwar. “The Ghazipur border on NH 24 is closed for traffic from Ghaziabad to Delhi due to farmers’ protests. People are advised to avoid NH 24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/Bhopra/DND for coming to Delhi,” it tweeted.Tikri and Jharoda borders are closed for traffic movement while Badusarai border is open only for light motor vehicles like cars and two-wheelers, it said.
The talks between the government and the representatives of farmer unions remained inconclusive on Saturday. (Express Photo: Prem Nath Pandey)
“Singhu, Auchandi, Lampur, Piao Maniyari, Mangesh borders are closed. NH 44 is closed on both sides,” the police said. The police advised commuters to take alternative routes via Safiabad, Saboli, NH8, Bhopra, Apsara borders, and Peripheral expressway.
Several parties support Bharat Bandh
Several political parties, including the Congress, AAP, DMK, Shiv Sena, Kamal Haasan’s MNM, Left parties, the TMC, and the TRS, have joined ranks with the protesting farmers. NDA constituent Rashtriya Loktantrik Party has also supported the bandh call.
Addressing a press conference Friday, farmers union leader Gurnam Singh Chadoni said that if the Centre did not accept their demands to repeal the laws during Saturday’s talks, they would intensify their agitation and occupy toll plazas. There have been five rounds of talks between farmers’ representatives and the government till now, and the next meeting is scheduled for December 9. After Thursday’s talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had hinted that the Modi government could amend three major provisions in the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act.
Farm laws will not be rolled back, amendments can be made: MoS Agriculture
Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Sunday reiterated that the three laws passed by the government are “in favour of farmers”, and they would not be repealed, though amendments could be made to them.