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Amidst the ongoing farmer protests and demands for the implementation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) laws and other agricultural reforms, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) have jointly called for a Bharat Bandh on February 16. This bandh aims to highlight the unfulfilled promises made by the central government during the 2020 protests and draw attention to various issues affecting farmers and workers across the country. The Bharat Bandh is expected to have a significant impact on the functioning of the country. It is likely to disrupt transportation, businesses, and other services. The bandh is also expected to garner support from various other groups, including trade unions and civil society organizations.
The Bharat bandh call comes even as hundreds of farmers marching from Punjab have been stopped at the state’s border with Haryana near Ambala, about 200 kilometres away from Delhi. Haryana security forces have used tear gas on them to try and disperse them.
While the Gramin Bharat Bandh will run from 6 am to 4 pm, farmers will join a massive chakka jam on main roads nationwide from 12 pm to 4 pm. In Punjab, most of the state and national highways will be closed for four hours.
Essential services such as the purchase and supply of vegetables and grains will be suspended. Village shops, agricultural activities, rural works, and MNREGA works are urged to be closed. Grain markets, rural industrial and private sector entities, and vegetable markets are requested to remain closed during the bandh. Public transport may also be affected as roadway employees join the protest.
According to reports, emergency services such as ambulance operations, newspaper distribution, marriage, medical shops, students going for board exams, etc., are unlikely to be affected during the strike.
Public transport will not ply as the roadway employees will also be taking part in the Gramin Bharat bandh.
Meanwhile, Some trains on the Delhi-Amritsar route were diverted on Thursday after farmers squatted on tracks at many places in Punjab over the Haryana Police’s action against ‘Delhi Chalo’ protesters. Farmers also staged dharnas at several toll plazas and forced authorities to not charge the commuters a toll fee.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakunda (Dhaner) had given the call for a four-hour ‘rail roko’ protest at several places in Punjab. Farmers began their stir around 12 pm by squatting on rail tracks at several places. The demonstrations are likely to continue till 4 pm.
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