Farmers call for Bharat Bandh on 8th Dec receives. National Support

On day 8 of the ongoing farmers protest, leaders of the movement called for a Bharat Bandh on Tuesday

New Delhi: With tensions between protesting farmers and the center increasing, the farmers left mid-way through the 5th round of talks at the Vigyan Bhavan. The move came because of the government’s proposal to amend the three bills (1, 2, 3) that affected the farmers, contrary to their demands of outright scrapping the new laws. The call for a Bharat Bandh was made by the Farmers unions of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and multiple other states on Friday.

The farmer’s demands right now include scrapping these laws, which were passed amid the lockdowns. The farmers have showed their willingness to frame a new set of laws which can only be done after rolling back the three new bills. The farmer’s main concerns in ground are the end of Minimum Support Price (MSP), what happens to the middlemen who take care of the crop from their farm to the mandi’s where they are sold and a common concern is that a similar model was implemented in Bihar a decade and half ago which led to the ruin of Bihar farmers, forcing many of them into waged-labour.

The Centre is adamant that the new laws are for the benefit of the farmers and that they have been “misled’. On the fifth day of talks the Centre expressed willingness to amend the new laws which was refused by the farmers.

Bharat Bandh receives National Support

Support for the movement has been growing with many farmers who can’t make it to Delhi organizing protests in their respective regions. Transport Truckers have also threatened to go for a strike if the farmer’s demands are not met. This could lead to a serious drop in the supply of essential goods. Apart from these political parties like the Trinamool Congress and the Akali Dal have also joined forces to support the farmer’s agitations. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pledged AAP’s support for the call. Along with this the Congress, TRS and other Left parties have also expressed their support for the bandh.

The Farmers are currently threatening to completely choke Delhi by cutting off all routes in and out of the Nation’s Capital. With many more farmers expected to join in the protests outside Delhi, a sense of urgency is piling up on the Central Government.

Also Read: Union Agricultural Minister asks Farmers to stop protests