Bharat Bandh today: protesters, police clash in Kolkata
New Delhi:
Protesting against the government’s new labor and agricultural laws, the central unions are holding a nationwide Bharat Bandh today. While in Kerala the bandh is almost total, West Bengal and Odisha have seen protests. In few places in Kolkata, protesters have clashed with the police. Members of the left-wing union blocked train tracks in parts of Bengal. In some parts of Odisha, union members have organized demonstrations. There are no reports that banking services are affected. The protesting trade unionists have started to gather in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Union leaders have said that around 25 million million workers in the country are part of Bharat Bandh today.
Members of the Odisha Nirmana Sramik Federation, the Central Council of Trade Unions of India and the Orissa Petrol and Diesel Pump Workers Union organized protest demonstrations. “The government has enacted laws that are against labor and are supporting the employer. After these laws, most of the industries in India will not be subject to labor laws … We are demanding the withdrawal of the labor code and repeal of three agricultural laws, “Mahendra Parida, national secretary of the All India Central Unions Council (AICCTU) told the ANI news agency.
Bhubaneswar: Members of the Odisha Nirmana Sramik Federation, the Central Council of Trade Unions of India and the Orissa Petrol and Diesel Pump Workers Union hold a demonstration as the unions have called a nationwide strike against the Center’s new labor laws. pic.twitter.com/ufVwyQD4La
– ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020
In Kerala, shops are closed and state buses are off the roads. Normal life in Kerala has been affected by the closure of government offices and banking services. Private buses, rickshaws, and taxis are off the road too.
Kerala: Workers from the Center for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) form a human chain in Kochi as part of their national strike today against the Center’s new labor and agricultural laws. pic.twitter.com/g53db5Vmda
– ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020
Ten core trade unions including the National Trade Union Congress of India (INTUC), the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the All India United Trade Unions Center (AIUTUC), the Trade Union Coordination Center (TUCC) ), Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All Central Council of Indian Trade Unions (AICCTU) and others are participating in Bharat Bandh. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), affiliated with RSS, has said that it will not participate in the strike.
In Bengal, the trade union wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress does not oppose Bharat Bandh. However, in a note, the Bengal government said that it is against the bandhs and that all its offices will remain open today.
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