Bharat Bandh LIVE: Rail, road transport likely to be affected as farmers call for nationwide strike
Bharat Bandh LIVE: Farmers are observing nationwide strike today
Bharat Bandh Live: Farmers are observing a complete Bharat Bandh on March 26 (Thursday) to press for their demand to repeal the three farm laws. The nationwide strike is being organised to mark the completion of four months of agitation. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called the bandh. The bandh will be observed till 6 pm. Farmers will block all roads and train routes as part of their protest.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for over two months demanding rollback of the 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. Farmers are opposing the laws, terming them against their interest as it will dismantle the mandi system and the MSP structure. Besides, they believe that the laws will give power to corporates over their lands. However, the three laws — enacted in September 2020, have been projected by the Central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. The government has repeatedly assured the farmers that these three laws will not do away with MSP and mandis.
BHARAT BANDH LIVE UPDATES:
Bharat Bandh: Supply of vegetables, milk to be affected
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Darshan Pal has said that supplies of vegetables and milk will also stopped by the protesting farmers. The SKM is an umbrella body of protesting unions. It appealed to protesting farmers to be peaceful and not get involved in any kind of illegitimate debate and conflict during the bandh.
Bharat Bandh from 6 AM to 6 PM
The Samkyukta Kisan Morcha has said that nationwide shutdown will start at 6 am and it will be in force up to 6 pm across the country on March 26 which marks four months of the farmer agitation at Delhi’s three borders — Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri.
No bandh in poll-bound states
Farmers have said that they will observe banch in four poll-bound states (West bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Puducherry.
Bharat Bandh LIVE: Shops, factories to remain open in Delhi
The Chambers of Trade and Industry, a body representing traders in Delhi, has said shops and factories will remain open during the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by farmers protesting against the Centre’s three new farm laws. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a joint front representing farmer unions, has called for a Bharat Bandh on Friday.
Bharat Bandh today (March 26)
Rail and road transportation services are likely to be affected and markets may remain closed in parts of the country on Friday as farmer unions protesting against the three agri laws have called a complete ‘Bharat Bandh’.
