New Delhi/Chandigarh, Dec 8: Life was disrupted in several parts of the country on Tuesday as shops and commercial establishments stayed closed, transport was affected and protesters squatted on key roads and rail tracks in response to a ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by farmers demanding a repeal of the new agri laws.
As the day wound to a mostly peaceful close and the farmers termed their show of strength a success, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stepped in to call their leaders for talks, ahead of the sixth round of talks between Central ministers and farmer representatives on Wednesday. “There is no midway. We will demand just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ from Home Minister Amit Shah,” farmer leader Rudru Singh Mansa told reporters at the Singhu border where thousands of farmers have been protesting for the last 12 days. A delegation of 13 leaders will meet Shah.
The nationwide shutdown was observed in around 10,000 places in 25 states, claimed Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav.
Emergency services were exempted and banks, too, continued operations as the pan-India shutdown, backed by most opposition parties and trade unions, rolled out noisily but peacefully with its impact felt in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, the epicentre of the snowballing protests, as well as in states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand.
The pandemic appeared to recede into the background as security was stepped up across the country, restive crowds demonstrated in some places and the numbers swelled at Delhi’s border points.
Protesters also blocked railway tracks at several places in West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. As slogans such as “Kisan Ekta Zindabad” were heard in protest centrepoints such as Tikri and the agitation picked up pace, so did social media with the hashtag #Aaj_Bharat_Bandh_Hai trending worldwide till late afternoon.
From the Rajasthan capital Jaipur, where ‘mandis’ were closed but shops open, there were reports of clashes between workers of the state’s ruling Congress and the BJP.
Kejriwal under house arrest: AAP
In Delhi, where most main markets were open, tension spiralled with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that Delhi Police had put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest till evening. City police denied the claim but AAP leaders stuck to their stand. Farmer unions had threatened to block national highways and occupy toll plazas across the country during a ‘chakka jam’ protest from 11 am to 3 pm.
All India Kisan Sabha general secretary Hannan Mollah described the shutdown as a show of strength by the farmers.
The protesting farmers fear the new laws will pave the way for eliminating the safety of the Minimum Support Price cushion and do away with ‘mandis’, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
Opp to meet President
Opposition parties are expected to meet Kovind on Wednesday evening to raise their concerns about the three laws.
“Leaders from different political parties (those opposing the farm bills) will sit, discuss and take a collective stand on the contentious farm laws before meeting President Ram Nath Kovind,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar told reporters.
Farmers from Punjab and also Haryana have been the drivers of the movement against the laws. In both states, shops and commercial establishments were closed as were thousands of fuel pumps. Farmers assembled at highways and other key roads in both states since morning. All major parties in Punjab — the ruling Congress, AAP and the Shiromani Akali Dal — extended their support. Over 50,000 government employees took mass casual leave in support of the farmers.
In neighbouring BJP-JJP ruled Haryana, the opposition Congress and Indian National Lok Dal extended their support. The Haryana Police traffic advisory had warned commuters that main national highways would be closed and the peak time of impact was expected to be between 12 noon to 3 pm.
In West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress joined the Congress and the Left in supporting the shutdown but stayed away from enforcing it, the response was mixed.
Life was hit in Bihar too with train tracks, highways and inner roads teeming with protesters as opposition parties extended their support.
In Tamil Nadu, the opposition DMK and its allies, including the Congress, held protests across the state but life was mostly unaffected. In the union territory of Puducherry, ruled by the Congress, however, the ‘bandh’ call evoked a near total response.
Normal life was affected in parts of Karnataka as farmers and workers hit the roads. Many organisations in the state came out in support of the bandh. (PTI)
