“Bharat Bandh” called by farmer unions against three agricultural laws of the Centre hit normal life on Monday as protesters blocked highways and squatted on railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana.
In Punjab, the ruling Congress said it firmly stands by farmer unions’ “Bharat Bandh” call against the three laws. The shutdown was almost complete in the state with transport services staying suspended and shops, commercial establishments and educational institutions remaining shut at most places during the bandh.
National and state highways in several districts, including Amritsar, Rupnagar, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Sangrur, Mohali, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Bathinda, were blocked by the protesters.
In neighbouring Haryana, the bandh evoked a fair response at many places where shops, educational institutions, commercial establishments and ‘mandis’ remained shut. The protesters blocked national highways in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Hisar, Charkhi Dadri, Karnal, Kaithal, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Panchkula districts.
The bandh, however, failed to evoke much response in Chandigarh, which is the common capital of the two states and where life remained normal.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions spearheading the agitation, had earlier appealed to the people to support the bandh. SKM senior leader Yogendra Yadav said the Bharat Bandh was extraordinarily successful. He said the success of the Bandh is an answer to those who claim farmers’ agitation was limited to few states only. All emergency establishments and essential services, including hospitals, medical stores, relief-and-rescue work and people attending to personal emergencies, had been exempted during the Bandh period. The protesters also squatted on railway tracks at many places in the two states leaving many trains stranded. However, in view of the inconvenience faced by passengers, some farmers and other volunteers organised ‘langars’ serving food to them at Karnal, Patiala and few other places.
