Bharat bandh gets lukewarm response across the country

Bharat bandh gets lukewarm response across the country

Normal Life Disrupted Only in T’gana, Andhra Pradesh & Odisha

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

09.12.2020

The Bharat Bandh called on Tuesday in support of farmers got a lukewarm response across the country, with reports of disruptions to normal life from only a few states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

While there were no reports of violence in Punjab, movement of vehicles, including buses, was affected due to closure of roads at various places by farmers. Though government offices were open, attendance was thin as many of the employees joined the protest.

Haryana remained peaceful as farmers sat at various places on state and national highways carrying their tractor-trolleys and hookahs. No political leader was allowed to address the gathering of farmers.

A 32-year-old farmer reportedly died on Tuesday near Sonipat border where farmers are camping for the protest. He reportedly died due to a heart attack while a 58-year-old died during a chakka jam on the Jind-Patiala national highway due to cardiac arrest.

In Odisha, normal life was affected as offices, shops, commercial establishments remained largely closed in the forenoon. All state government offices were closed for the day. Buses remained off the road. At least three trains got halted for around one hour in Bhubaneswar station as members of Left parties staged a symbolic rail roko.

However, Chhattisgarh, where the Congress and chief minister Bhupesh Baghel came out in support of the bandh, saw widespread impact of the bandh call. Business and establishments stayed shut till 2pm. Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the state chapter of Confederation of All India Traders extended support to bandh.

In Bihar, opposition party leaders and supporters held demonstrations, put up road blockades and disrupted rail and road traffic across the state to register their protest. At some places like Ara in Bhojpur, Araria and Jehanabad, the bandh supporters clashed with the police. In Patna, protesters overpowered constables manning traffic, burnt the effigies of PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar.

In western Uttar Pradesh, farmers blocked all major highways leading to Delhi, including Yamuna Expressway and NH2 in Mathura, Aligarh-Palwal road in Aligarh and Pilibhit-Basti national highway in Pilibhit on Tuesday, but allowed operation of all emergency services. The bandh evoked mixed response in Madhya Pradesh too. Many cities felt the impact in the morning as markets were closed. AAP activists held a demonstration at the bungalow of Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and were arrested. All the main markets of Bhopal were open.

Scores of TRS ministers and MLAs along with leaders blocked national highways, towns in Telangana and in Hyderabad. Businesses were shut and traffic went off the roads for a large part of the day. Hundreds of IT employees on Tuesday took part in a demonstration organized by the Forum of IT professionals and took out a rally from Raidurg metro station to TCS Deccan Park and also blocked roads at Lemon Tree Junction.

Normal life was affected in Andhra Pradesh as the state government cancelled public transport services till 1 pm. Government offices also remained closed till 1 pm in support of the farmers. Schools and colleges did not function. The ruling YSRCP, though did not directly extend support to the Bharat bandh, the state government kept its offices closed in the morning.

Farmers raise slogans during a protest in Amritsar on Tuesday