Samyukt Kisan Morcha's (SKM) call for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Monday, to mark the first anniversary of the enactment of the three farm laws, has garnered support from more than 500 farmer organizations, 15 trade unions, political parties, six state governments and varied sections of society.
State governments of Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh will extend their support to the 'Bharat Bandh' protest.
SKM has said that the bandh will be observed from 6 am to 4 pm tomorrow. In this period, all government and private offices, educational and other institutions, shops, industries and commercial establishments as well as public events and functions will be closed throughout the country.
However, exemptions to the bandh include all emergency establishments and essential services, including hospitals, medical stores, relief and rescue work and people attending to personal emergencies.
SKM has assured that the bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner.
"It was on September 27th that President Shri Ram Nath Kovind assented to and brought into force the 3 anti-farmer black laws last year. Tomorrow, there will be a total Bharat Bandh observed around the country from 6 am to 4 pm," SKM said in an official statement.
In view of the protest, SKM had put out detailed guidelines and called for complete peace during the bandh. It had also put out an appeal to all citizens of the country to join the Bandh tomorrow.
So far, left parties like Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) New Democracy, Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), Marxist Communist Party of India (United), Revolutionary Marxist Party of India in addition to many other parties like Indian National Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Bahujan Samaj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, SAD-Sanyukt, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Swaraj India and others have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh.
Central Trade Unions have organised a protest rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi at 11 am tomorrow. Several bar associations and local units of All India Lawyers' Union have extended their support. There was a 'Mashaal juloos' in Jaipur yesterday, in addition to such torch processions in Gurgaon and Palwal too.
In Mysuru of Karnataka, there was a bike rally organised yesterday. In Patna, a 'Mashaal juloos' was planned for today evening.
Farmers have been protesting at different sites since November 26 last year against the three enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.
( With inputs from ANI )
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