The farmers, who mobilized for almost two weeks against the three farm laws enacted by the Center earlier this year, have called for a nationwide strike on Tuesday. The general strike from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will have the support of several political parties and a joint platform of 10 central unions.
Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena, left-wing parties, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have extended their support for the call. Several taxi and taxi unions are also supporting Bharat Bandh as travel across states is likely to be disrupted.
Follow the latest updates from Bharat Bandh here
The Ministry of the Interior (MHA) has asked all states and territories of the Union to strictly enforce the Covid-19 health and safety protocols and make appropriate security arrangements during the nationwide lockdown strike called by farmer groups, demanding the repeal of three laws that seek to liberalize agricultural markets.
Thousands of farmers have gathered on the borders of Delhi since November 26 to protest against the three contentious laws. Due to the demonstrations, seven borders of the national capital are completely closed. They are protesting against the three laws: the Trade in Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services of 2020, and the Essential Products Act (Amendment ) of 2020.
This is how the bandh will go through different states of the country.
Delhi: While the government of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal is ready to lend its support to Bharat Bandh’s call and peaceful protests against three contentious laws, Delhi police said on Monday they will take legal action. strict against people who would try to interrupt the movement of traffic or people or close shops by force. About 4,000 vehicles and thousands of security personnel will be deployed on the city’s borders and roads to regulate traffic and prevent adverse incidents.
Punjab: The farmers who have been protesting for the past 13 days are mainly from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. Therefore, Punjab is likely to witness a major impact from the strike. All political parties, merchant organizations, truck unions and mandi associations have extended their support for the call. The Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), the highest religious body of Sikhs, said on Tuesday that the strike would be completed.
Haryana: In Haryana, five lawmakers from the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) led by Deputy Minister Dushyant Chautala have extended their support for the protest. All major markets in the state are expected to remain closed and farmers’ agencies plan blockades along major highways. Haryana Police Chief Additional General (Law & Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said the public may face traffic blocks while traveling on various roads and highways in the state on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh: Thousands of protesters from the UP-ruled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have marched towards the capital. Opposition parties, including Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party, have supported the bandh. The general strike is likely to have a major impact in western UP, where the Bhartiya Kisan Union has influence. Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath has called on officials not to commit to peace and order at any cost and to take all necessary measures to ensure that people do not face any problems due to the proposed ‘Bharat Bandh ‘ on Tuesday.
West Bengal: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has decided to extend “moral support” to the national strike called by farmers. The party, in solidarity, will hold sit-ins in various parts of the state over the next three days. TMC leader and senior lawmaker Saugata Roy said the party will not enforce the strike called by the farmers because it is against “bandh culture.”
Maharashtra: The ruling alliance of the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have supported Bharat Bandh. Offices in major cities like Mumbai and Pune may continue to operate, but roads in rural Marathwada and Vibadhra could be blocked.
Bihar: The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and left-wing parties have supported the convocation of the bandh in Bihar, which is governed by a coalition of the BJP, Janata Dal (United) or JD (U) and other small parties. The RJD led by Tejashwi Yadav has announced statewide protests due to which police fear major blockades.
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