Farmer representatives from around 40 unions have requested a “peaceful Bharat Bandh” on December 8 and announced that weddings would be exempted from the nationwide protest.
Baldev Singh Nihal, Ashok Dhanvle, Tenjinder Virk, Comrade B.V. and Yogendra Yadav announced the move after a day-long meeting held to chalk out plan for the ‘Bharat Bandh’, a move to raise their voice against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Tamil Nadu and a joint platform of 10 central trade unions have so far extended their support to the call which was made public after the fifth round of the government-farmer talks remained inconclusive with both sides adamant on their positions.
Farmer leader Nihal said that the agitation is not only of Punjab farmers but also for the whole nation.
“Since the government is not taking us seriously, we have called ‘Bharat Bandh’ and that the Ministers in fifth round of government-farmer talks on Saturday got upset with the idea of nationwide shutdown.
“All the transport and shops would be closed since morning. The transport will be opened by noon but shops will remain closed. We won’t let anyone interfere in this and would take strict action. Youth farmers from Gujarat are also joining tomorrow. Gujarat is the state of Prime Minister Modi,” he said.
Another farmer leader Jagmohan Singh said the govt has to “take back the three laws” and “we made it clear in yesterday’s meeting that this is a non-negotiable demand”.
Yogendra Yadav announced that “weddings would be exempted from the Bharat Bandh”.
Amarjeet, another farmer leader, requested protesting farmers and others to hold a “peaceful Bharat Bandh on December 8”, and said that “the government might try to turn it violent”.
The ongoing farmers protest entered the 12th day on Monday.
While the government was agreeable in the fifth government-farmer meet to undertake amendments to The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, farmers were pushing for the scrapping of these laws.
Farmers leaders communicated that they will hold the ‘Bharat Bandh’ on December 8 as their demands haven’t been met.
Bharatiya Kisan Union-Ekta Ugrahan state President Joginder Singh told IANS that a few team members of the group have been sent to Punjab for a complete ‘Bharat Bandh’.
“Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab are among 12 states are expected to observe complete ‘Bharat Bandh’ on December 8. Odisha and Tamil Nadu are also supporting the call,” Singh said.
A joint forum of ten central trade unions — Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)– is supporting the nationwide strike.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday extended support to the farmers’ ‘Bharat Bandh’ call and assured that his party workers and supporters would participate in the ‘peaceful’ protest.
Kejriwal made the announcement while visiting the Singhu border at the Delhi-Haryana route — one of the protest sites. It was Kejriwal’s first visit to any of the farmer protest sites.
Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that nationwide ‘Bharat Bandh’ will have no impact in the state.
“There will be no impact,” Sawant told reporters outside his official residence in Panaji, when asked about the preparations being undertaken by the state administration in view of the call for a nationwide strike.
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