Farmers' organizations have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' to protest against the implementation of the Farm Bills by Parliament. They have planned to gather on October 2 at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial in Delhi to express their dissatisfaction.
Protests against the Bills have already spilled onto the streets in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and other states.
Farmers' organizations, such as the Bharatiya Kisan Union, are planning a "Chakka Jam." On October 2, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambavata) will march to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial in Delhi to plan a future strategy.
The police increased security shortly after the Bandh was proclaimed. Delhi Police and paramilitary forces have strengthened their presence in the national capital. In the areas bordering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, more deployments have been made.
National president of the BKU (Ambavata), Rishipal, said, “Almost everything is closed in our areas. Farmers have also come to the streets in Mathura and Agra regions. We will agitate till the law is taken back. Farmers from across the country are arriving at the memorial of Lal Bahadur Shastriji in Delhi on October 2”.
This 350Km long foot march will be joined by more than 500 farmers from Odisha and this will culminate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, on October 20.
Akshaya Kumar, the national convenor of NKS said, “Though the padayatra is an initiative of the Navnirman Krushak Sangathanm, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha- an umbrella body of organization fighting for farmers’ rights- is leading the movement. The farmers from Odisha have already left by the morning of October 2 from where we will embark on our padayatra”.
“We are demanding only two things. Repeal of the farm laws and strengthening of the minimum support price (MSP) system. The Centre should introduce a law to take legal action against anybody who purchases agricultural produce for a price that is less than the MSP”, said Kumar, a member of the SKM’s national committee.
Also read: What Indian Farmers are Seeking in New Farm Legislation?
