The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has called for Bharat Bandh on 26 March 2021 from 6 am to 6 pm, marking the completion of four months of their protest. Demonstration held at several places against the three contentious farm laws.
12 Hour Bharat Bandh
India observed a nationwide strike called SKM from 6 am to 6 pm. The protesting farmers sat at 32 different locations in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Farmer leader Darshan Pal appealed to people to make this ‘Bharat Bandh’ a success in honour of the ‘Annadata’. However, he requested a peaceful protest and appealed not to get into any conflict during the ‘Bandh’.
Poll-bound states, including West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, have been excluded from the shutdown.
Authorities cancelled four trains citing the situation. Besides, protestors stopped more than 30 trains over agitations near railway stations in Delhi, Chandigarh, Firozpur and Amritsar. Also, the agitating farmers blocked several highways, including Chandigarh-Delhi, Amritsar-Delhi, Hisar-Delhi and Bhiwani-Delhi national highways. On the other hand, Confederation of All India Traders did not participate in their protest and hence opened the markets.
Andhra Pradesh Extends Full Support To The Protest
All political parties, except BJP, extended full support to the Bandh in Andhra Pradesh. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) expressed solidarity to the Bharat Bandh on 26 March. Besides, Andhra Pradesh I&PR Minister Perni Venkatramaiah asked people to cooperate and observe Bharat Bandh without causing any inconvenience to the general public.
To conclude, eleven meetings have failed to break the deadlock between the government and farmers as both sides stick to their demands.