New Delhi: As thousands of farmers continue to camp at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu, farmer bodies are observing a nationwide ‘Bharat Bandh’ Tuesday in protest against the Narendra Modi government’s three farm laws. Markets, shops and services will remain shut through the day as part of the protest. A chakka jam is also under way from 11 am to 3 pm.
However, all essential services including movement of ambulances, processions for weddings, etc. remain functioning.
“We are allowing movement of all essential services. We have deployed our volunteers to ensure that emergency services are not affected. We are also holding talks with the other leaders to plan our strategy for the meeting with the Centre tomorrow,” said Jagmohan Singh, general secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakonda) — one of the 31 farmer unions coordinating the protests.
In a statement on Twitter, Swaraj India national president Yogendra Yadav, who is part of the working group of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), said: “The Bharat Bandh is to open the ears of the government.”
Several opposition political parties have also extended support to the protest including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Nationalist Congress Party and the Left parties.
However, the farmers have maintained that while anyone can join the protest, political leaders will not be allowed on stage at Singhu border — the centre of the protests at the national capital border.
“It will be a peaceful bandh. We are firm on not allowing any political leaders on our stage,” AIKSCC member Darshan Pal said at a press conference at the Singhu border ahead of the shutdown.
On Monday, the Centre issued an advisory asking all states and Union territories to ensure tight security. It also sought observance of Covid-19 protocols.
The bandh comes just ahead of the sixth round of talks between the Centre and the farmer unions Wednesday. The previous five rounds of talks remained inconclusive.
Close vigil in Delhi
Security has been tightened across the national capital with the Delhi Police announcing Tuesday that four borders to Haryana will continue to remain closed due to the ongoing protest.
Security has also been tightened at the protest hubs of Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan where Rapid Action Force teams have been stationed.
Despite this, the Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress held a protest and raised slogans of ‘Kisan Ekta’ at the ITO crossing. “We are supporting Bharat Bandh. The Modi government must understand that they can’t survive without the farmers. They can’t form a law that 80 per cent of the country are against of,” Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress president Amrita Dhawan told ThePrint.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP too staged a protest at ITO in support of the bandh. Earlier, the party alleged that Delhi CM Kejriwal has been put under house arrest, a claim denied by the police.
On Monday, the Delhi Police said in a statement that it has made “adequate arrangements to ensure normal movement of people on roads for the Bharat Bandh”. However, traffic remained scarce early Tuesday with few autos and cabs on the city roads.
Punjab and Haryana shut down
In Punjab, where the farmers’ movement began, markets in Amritsar, Moga, Sangrur and Mohali remain shut. In neighbouring Haryana, markets in Panipat and Ambala too didn’t open. However, vehicles are plying on the roads.
Late Monday, agitating farmers vandalised the makeshift helipad at Karnal where CM Manohar Lal Khattar had to arrive this afternoon to address a gathering.
Meanwhile, fresh batches of farmers from Punjab and Haryana will be reaching Tikri border on the Rohtak-Delhi road and the Singhu border on the Sonepat-Delhi road.
Uttar Pradesh
The neighbouring Uttar Pradesh is also on high alert.
Early Tuesday, the state police detained Samajwadi Party (SP) workers from several districts. In Prayagraj, over a dozen SP workers were detained after they stopped an express train and protested around it. In Mirzapur, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Sidhnath Singh has been placed under house arrest.
Congress workers in the state are also slated to protest in support of farmers this afternoon.
While some business organisations are supporting the shutdown, shops remain open in most of the districts. The state administration has directed strict action against those who try to force a shutdown.
Bengal and Maharashtra lend support
The Opposition-ruled states of West Bengal and Maharashtra also showed support to the protest.
While her party, Trinamool Congress, is officially against shutdowns, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has extended her support to the bandh. She will sit on dharna near Gandhi statue in central Kolkata in symbolic support. She has also instructed her party to stage dharnas in every block across the state.
Meanwhile, farmer organisations and labour unions backed by the CPI(M) have put up rail blockades in several parts across the state.
On Tuesday, the state government tried to run transport on its own, with many of the CPI(M)-backed private operators keeping buses off the roads.
Maharashtra’s ruling parties — Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — have extended complete support to the bandh. All major agriculture and fruit markets remain shut, along with the goods transporters, affecting the supply of fruits and vegetables to cities.
However, the BJP stronghold of Nagpur remained open.
In Mumbai, 600 additional constables have been deployed even as the police appealed to people to not forcibly shut shops.
In Buldhana district, the police detained members of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, led by BJP’s estranged ally Raju Shetti, after it briefly stopped the Navjeevan Express.
Assam and Karnataka
BJP-ruled Assam has witnessed a near total shutdown with transport services, shops and establishments, and private offices remaining shut. While security presence has been tightened, no major demonstration has been seen yet. However, two demonstrators of the Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, the student wing of KMSS, were detained at Demow in Sivasagar district for burning tyres to register protest.
In another BJP-ruled state, nearly 300 farmer organisations are participating in the bandh in Karnataka.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekar told ThePrint that while many of the members farmer organisations will protest in their own villages and towns due to logistical constraints, those located near Bengaluru will head towards Vidhana Soudha where the Karnataka legislature is in session.
The legislature is expected to pass the controversial APMC bill and the land reforms bill in this session, which was moved by the BJP government in the state assembly in September.
Prohibitory orders have been imposed around Vidhana Soudha and police officials have been deployed from across the city, especially at the entry points to Bengaluru from nearby villages. But markets continued to remain open in the city.
Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar said the party launched a letter drive against the anti-farmer laws. These letters will be sent to the President of India.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
In Telangana, the impact was more severe with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) directing full support to the farmers.
Municipal Minister and CM’s son K.T. Rama Rao will participate in the bandh protests at Burugula Gate in Hyderabad’s Shadnagar. Finance Minister Harish Rao and MLC and CM’s daughter Kavitha Kalvakuntla will also participate in the agitation at NH-44. The entire party cadre has been asked to extensively support the agitation.
Apart from the ruling TRS, opposition Congress, Left parties and several trade unions have also extended support, and will be participating in the bandh.
In, sister state Andhra Pradesh, there was a minimal effect of the bandh despite the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) extending its support to the farm laws.
Jammu and Kashmir
The Bharat Bandh call in Jammu and Kashmir did not have much impact in the Valley with most shops, commercial establishments and transport functioning normally. However, fruit and vegetables markets across the Valley shut their operations to express solidarity with the farmers.
Kashmir’s Fruit Growers Association president Bashir Ahmed Bashir called for a rollback of the farm bills. “We request the government to roll back the farm bill which is not in favour of the farmers,” he said.
Kashmir-based United Sikh Forum also held a minor protest against the bill in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk.
In Jammu, a complete shutdown is being observed with shops closed and commercial transport off the roads.
(Manasi Phadke, Prashant Srivastava, Karishma Hasnat, Rohini Swamy, Madhuparna Das, Rishika Sadam, Chitleen K. Sethi and Azaan Javaid contributed to this report.)
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