the Bharat bandh called Tuesday in support of farmers garnered a tepid response across the country, with reports of disruptions to normal life in just a few states such as Telangana, Andhra and Odisha.
While there were no reports of violence in Punjab, the movement of vehicles, including buses, was affected due to the closure of roads in various places by farmers. Although government offices were open, attendance was poor as many of the employees joined the protest.
Neighboring Haryana kept her peace as farmers sat in various places on state and national highways with their tractor-carts and hookahs. No political leader was allowed to address the farmers’ meeting. In Kaithal, farmers prevented Congressman Randeep Singh Surjewala from addressing the meeting.
In Odisha, normal life was affected as offices, shops and commercial establishments remained largely closed. All state government offices were closed for the day. The buses stayed off the road. At least three trains stopped for about an hour in Bhubaneswar while members of the left-wing parties performed the Rail Roko.
the Bandh got a mixed response on Jharkhand despite the fact that the JMM-Congreso-RJD coalition government supports it. Also in Rajasthan, despite the support of the congressional government, the bandh received a mixed response. However, Chhattisgarh, where Congress and Prime Minister Bhupesh Baghel rallied in support of the bandh, saw a widespread impact from the so-called bandh. Businesses and establishments remained closed until 2 pm.
In Bihar, opposition party leaders and supporters held demonstrations, blocked roads, and disrupted rail and road traffic across the state to register their protest.
In western UP, farmers blocked all roads leading to Delhi, but allowed all emergency services to function. The bandh also evoked a mixed response in MP. Many cities felt the impact as many markets were closed.
Dozens of TRS and MLA ministers along with leaders blocked national highways, towns in Telangana and in Hyderabad. Businesses were closed and traffic was off the roads for much of the day. Normal life was affected in Andhra Pradesh when the state government canceled public transport services until 1pm. Government offices were also closed until 1 pm in support of farmers.
In Kolkata, while business districts like Bowbazar and Burrabazar were attacked by bandh, students blocked roads in Jadavpur and Dhakuria in southern Kolkata. About 26 trains were canceled.
The bandh had little impact in Tamil Nadu Kerala too. In Mumbai, bandh passed away peacefully with a normal life largely intact. Transportation ran smoothly with buses and taxis running and banks were open.
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