'Bharat Bandh' on December 8 has been called by farmer unions which have been protesting at the Delhi borders against the new central agri-marketing laws. A nationwide strike has been called to press for repeal of the laws.
The farmer leader said the 'bandh' will be effective across the country, but the major impact will be felt in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
Amid this, the Haryana Police has issued a travel advisory for the benefit of the common people stating that the commuters might have to face obstacles on roads and national highways during their travel on December 8.
Navdeep Singh Virk, the Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) Haryana Police, said that as per the directions of the Haryana government, adequate arrangements have been made.
The main purpose of the arrangement is to maintain law, order and peace in the state and to avoid any untoward incident. It also aims at the smooth supply of essential commodities, maintain public transport and traffic without any hurdles. It also said that COVID-19 guidelines have to be followed.
He said that as per information, it is likely that the protesters sit for their agitation on roads and national highways which will lead to its blockage for a short span of time. Almost all the districts, except for Nuh and Narnaul, are likely to face traffic jams.
In addition to this, the toll plazas are also likely to be affected. The national highways--Delhi-Ambala (NH-44), Delhi-Hisar (NH-9), Delhi-Palwal (NH-19) and Delhi-Rewadi (NH-48) are also likely to be affected. This is to be noted, as Haryana shares its border with Delhi and traffic jams are likely to be witnessed at border points.
Farmer leaders said they will block key roads during their 'chakka jam' protest from 11 am till 3 pm as part of their stir, which has drawn people from northern states especially Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi since the last 12 days.
After five rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmer unions failed to end the impasse, the two sides are again set to meet on December 9, a day after the countrywide strike.
The three farm laws enacted in September have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre, however, has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain.
Several trade unions extended support to the strike even as the farmer leaders said that no one should be forced to join the shutdown. With almost all opposition parties too backing the 'Bharat Bandh' and many announcing parallel protests in support of the farmers, the Centre has issued an advisory directing the states and Union Territories to tighten security and ensure peace is maintained.
Farmer leaders have asked everyone to join the "symbolic" bandh. "Our bandh is different from that of political parties. It is a four-hour symbolic bandh for an ideological cause. We want that there should be no problem to the common people. We appeal to them not to travel during this period," farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said. "We also urge shopkeepers to shut their outlets during this period," he said.
Bhartiya Kisan Ekta Sangathan president Jagjit Singh Dallewala asked farmers to maintain peace and not to try to enforce the shutdown. He said emergency services will be exempted during the bandh. The leader also claimed the bandh will be effective across the country. "The Modi government will have to accept our demands. We want nothing less than a withdrawal of the new farm laws," farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said.
The Centre and the farmer unions will hold the sixth round of talks a day after the bandh as previous discussions failed to end the deadlock. Targeted by opposition parties, the BJP hit back and accused them of "shameful double standards", claiming many of them had endorsed these reforms when in power or had supported them in Parliament.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the opposition parties have joined the agitation in a bid to save their existence after being repeatedly rejected by people in different elections across the country. Prasad said a section of farmers has fallen in the grip of some people with "vested interests" and asserted that the government was working to address their misgivings about the reforms. He appreciated the protesting farmer unions for not associating their stir with any political parties.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis too hit out at the opposition. The agitating farmers have drawn support from various quarters including artists, sportspersons and workers' groups.
Tuesday's strike could impact the transport of goods as the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), the apex body of transporters representing about 95 lakh truckers and other entities, said it will suspend operations in the entire country to support the bandh. The All India Railwaymen's Federation too extended support to the farmers and said its affiliates will organise dharna during lunch hour.
The railway union, which has around nine lakh members, is the latest to show solidarity with the agitating farmers, who have found support from transport unions and the joint forum of trade unions like the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Traders' body CAIT and the All India Transporters Welfare Association, however, said markets across the country including in Delhi will remain open and transport services will also remain operative. While the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) claims to represent around seven crore traders, AITWA said it represents 60 to 65 per cent of the organised transport sector in the country.
Bank unions also said they will not participate in the Bharat Bandh on Tuesday, even as they expressed solidarity with farmers protesting against the new farm laws. All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) General Secretary Soumya Datta said the union has expressed its solidarity with farmers but will not be participating in the Bharat Bandh called by them.
Similarly, All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said union members would wear black badges while on duty, stage protest after or before working hours and display placards before bank branches to support the cause of farmers of the country, but banking operations will not be hit.
The Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Trinamool Congress, DMK and its allies, TRS, RJD, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and the Left are among the political parties that are backing the strike. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati too tweeted on Monday in support of the bandh and appealed to the Centre to accept the farmers' demands.
