Bharat Bandh on Dec 8: Farmers get support from Left parties, trade unions

As the fifth round of talks between the farmers and the government remained inconclusive on Saturday, farm union leaders have said the Bharat Bandh announced for December 8 will go as planned despite repeated assurances from the Centre regarding resolving issues concerning the farm bills.

Farmers are protesting 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.

“The government will prepare a draft and give (it to) us. They said that they’ll consult the states too. Discussions were held on MSP too but we said that we should also take up laws and talk about their rollback. Bharat Bandh will go on as announced,” Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said on Saturday.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties, besides a joint platform of 10 central trade unions, have announced their support to the countrywide strike.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Bharat Bandh call by farmers:

1. As part of the Bharat Bandh call, farmers are set to “block all the roads leading up to Delhi.” The toll plazas will also be occupied and protests against the central government and corporate houses will intensify, they have said.

2. Left parties have extended their support to farmer’s call for a Bharat Bandh and appealed to all other political parties supporting the farmer’s cause to show cooperation. A joint statement released by CPI, CPI(M) and CPM(M-L), Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc said, “The Left parties extend their solidarity with and support to the ongoing massive agitation by Kisan organisations from all over the country against the new Agri laws. The Left parties extend their support to the call given by them for a Bharat Bandh on December 8.”

3. Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) and Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) have also lent their support to the farmers’ stir.

4. Parallel protests will be witnessed in parts of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu among others, Maharashtra. Farm unions have also appealed to farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana borders to join them.

5. For nearly 10 days now, Delhi borders have been witnessing thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other states as routes connecting the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) remained closed. The Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu, Tikri, Jharoda, Jhatikara, Auchandi, Lampur, Piao, Maniyari and Mangesh continues to remain closed. Other borders that have been affected till now include the Chilla border on the Noida link road, the Ghazipur border on NH-24 and the Badusarai border, which remains open only for light vehicles.