By Raju Vernekar
New Delhi/Mumbai, Sept . 25:
By and large normal activities across the country, especially in agricultural states including Punjab and Haryana, were disrupted, following demonstrations, organised as part of ‘Bharat Bandh’ by farmers’ unions as a protest against the Centre’s new agriculture reform laws on Friday.
The protests were seen at many places including the Amritsar-Delhi National Highway, Ayodhya- Lucknow Highway, Delhi- Pauri highway and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu highway. Due to the road blockades, commuters were hugely inconvenienced.
In Bihar RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, took out a tractor rally along with party activists. “Govt has made our ‘anndaata’ a puppet through its ‘fund daata’. #FarmBills are anti-farmer and have left them dejected. Govt had said that they’ll double farmers’ income by 2022 but these Bills will make them poorer. Agriculture sector has been corporatised” Yadav tweeted.
In view of the probable disruptions, the railways announced had already announced cancellations of many trains including: Amritsar-Haridwar train, New Delhi-Jammu Tawi Express, Amritsar-Guwahati (partially cancelled between Amritsar- Saharanpur), Jammu Tawi- Bandra Terminus (partially cancelled between Jammu Tawi-Delhi), Amritsar-Mumbai Central Golden Temple and Amritsar-New Jalpaiguri Karambhoomi Superfast.
In Maharashtra, protest demonstrations were held in different districts and also in Mumbai, by left-oriented parties and their affiliated units, who demanded the scrapping of three farm bills recently passed by the Parliament. The protests were held in 21 districts by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), one of the largest farmers’ groups in Maharashtra, with over 3,00,000 members. The copies of the farm bills were burnt by Sandip Jagtap, a state unit President of the “Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana”, a farmers’ body in the state.
The nationwide protest was called by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). Nearly 18 Opposition parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Left, Trinamool Congress, DMK and TRS, supported the bandh. Besides, the 10 central trade unions such as CITU, AITUC and Hind Mazdoor Sabha expressed solidarity to the farmers.
In Punjab and Haryana, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), had given a call for a ‘Rail Roko’. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appealed to farmers to maintain law and order and adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols assuring them that no penal action would be taken against them. NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal organised a ‘Chakka Jam’ for three hours across Punjab.
In Delhi-NCR the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress supported the agitation by the farmers’ unions, who gave a call to stage protests at Delhi-NCR borders. In Uttar Pradesh, the call was given by the BKU to block the villages, towns and highways. The protesters also received support from local trader bodies.
In West Bengal, the Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) organised “mass resistance” by blocking roads and highways at several locations. “The Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samiti”, an independent union of agricultural workers, sharecroppers, marginal peasants and plantation workers, supported the bandh.
In Kerala, the “Samyuktha Karshaka Samiti” (SKS) staged protests outside central government offices across Kerala and at its 250 centres. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the farmers’ organisations came in support of the bandh and Taxi and lorry drivers’ associations also extended their support. In Tamil Nadu the farmers from “National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers’ Association” sat outside Collector’s office in Trichy with human skulls, chained hands and nooses around their necks to demonstrate against the farm bills.
On September 20, the Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers‘ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill amid protest from Opposition parties.
