Bharat Bandh fails to evoke much response in Bengal

Left activists blocked roads and railway tracks across West Bengal on Monday in support of the Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions against the Centres three agriculture laws, while normal life remained largely unaffected by the strike in the state.Markets and shops were open, while public transport operated almost normally, except for a few hitches.Government and private offices registered usual attendance.


PTI | Kolkata | Updated: 28-09-2021 00:13 IST | Created: 28-09-2021 00:08 IST
Bharat Bandh fails to evoke much response in Bengal
Representative image Image Credit: ANI
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Left activists blocked roads and railway tracks across West Bengal on Monday in support of the Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions against the Centre's three agriculture laws, while normal life remained largely unaffected by the strike in the state.

Markets and shops were open, while public transport operated almost normally, except for a few hitches.

Government and private offices registered usual attendance. Educational institutions are shut in the state due to COVID-related restrictions.

At several locations, Congress activists took to the streets demanding repeal of the three farm laws.

The ruling Trinamool Congress stayed away from the bandh, but it said it supports the demands of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha which is spearheading the agitation.

In Kolkata, CPI(M) members put up road blockades at College Street, Jadavpur and Shyambazar Five-Point Crossing but they were swiftly removed by police.

Left supporters also blocked roads in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, Bali in Howrah district, Baharampur in Murshidabad district and several other places, as police tried to persuade them to allow vehicular movement.

The Left activists were seen carrying rice sheaf and burning copies of the new farm laws. They also shouted slogans against the BJP-led central government.

Road blockades were put up in most of the major towns and cities in the state, including in district headquarters of Jalpaiguri, Paschim and Purba Medinipur, Hooghly and Coochbehar.

The Left activists blocked railway tracks at Jadavpur in Eastern Railway's Sealdah division. Reports of rail blockades from the Howrah division also came in.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose, CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra, and Left leaders took out a rally in Kolkata in support of the strike.

According to a senior police official, no untoward incident was reported.

''It was peaceful; there was no incident of violence. In some places, road blockades were organised, but they were removed by the police swiftly. Normal life was unaffected. Few people were detained and were released later,'' the police official said.

However, Amal Haldar, state secretary of CPI(M)'s peasant wing Krishak Sabha claimed the Bandh was successful in rural areas.

''There was a very good response to the Bandh call in the rural areas. But in Urban areas, the impact was less mostly due to terror tactics of the TMC,'' he said.

Senior TMC leader Tapas Ray said although the party supports the demands but is against any form of shutdown or strike.

''It is not about farmers issue or any other issue. On principle, we are against any form of strike. But we support the demand of the farmers. We too want the farm laws to be withdrawn,'' he said.

The state BJP accused the TMC and the Left of being hand in gloves.

''As the strike call was given against the laws enacted by the central government, the TMC government went slow on protestors,'' BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

The three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- were passed by Parliament in September last year.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the 'mandi' and the MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced and asserted that these steps would help increase farmers' income.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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