So far, life is as usual in Delhi with transport services including metro, auto, cabs plying on roads normally. However, reports of trains being stopped are coming from Odisha and Maharashtra. Earlier, Congress president Sonia Gandhi announced that she will not celebrate her birthday due to ongoing farmers protest and Covid. The Osmania University has postponed all examination under its jurisdiction. Twenty-four opposition parties have backed the farmers in their Bharat Bandh call.
The farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting against the three farm that lifted stock limits, and gave freedom to farmers to sell their produce anywhere to anyone. However, the farmers fear that this will eventually lead to shutting up of state-run mandis that offer them what they claim good prices. They also fear that the these laws are also the first step in removing the minimum support price. In the backdrop, the farmers are demanding written assurance of MSP in Farm Acts. So far, the Centre have held five round of talks with farmers but nothing has come out as yet. The Centre and farmers will meet again on December 9 for sixth round of talks to discuss all contentious provisions in Farm Acts.
Members of a farmers’ organisation today staged a ‘rail roko’ in Buldhana district of Maharashtra. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna members stopped the Chennai-Ahmedabad Navjeevan Express at Malkapur station in Buldhana district while protesting against the farm laws. Police detained Sanghatana leader Ravikant Tupkar and his supporters over the incident, after removing them from the rail tracks. Agriculture Produce Market Committees in Navi Mumbai, Nashik, Dhule, Pune and Solapur are closed during the bandh. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses are plying as scheduled during the Bharat Bandh. The buses will continue to ply unless there are law and order problems due to the shutdown.
The Delhi Police has beefed up security at all border points and made arrangements to maintain law and order across the city, including market places. Farmer union leaders have said that the emergency services will be exempted. They have appealed to their affiliates to not force anyone to join the shutdown. Protesting farmers will block key roads and occupy toll plazas during their ‘chakka jam’ protest from 11 am to 3 pm.
