New Delhi / Chennai: A 10-hour Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to mark the first anniversary of the three controversial farm laws getting Presidential assent began today morning.
State governments of Tamilnadu, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Punjab, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh protest.
The bandh has garnered support from more than 500 farmer organizations, 15 trade unions, political parties, six State governments and varied sections of society.
The SKM has said that all government and private offices, educational and other institutions, shops, industries and commercial establishments will be closed across the nation during the strike. No public events and functions will be allowed, it said.
However, all emergency establishments and essential services, including hospitals, medical stores, relief and rescue work and people attending to personal emergencies, will be exempted from the strike.
While Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has extended support to the bandh, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav has announced he will participate in the nationwide strike. The Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu governments, too, have declared complete support to the Bandh. Congress has also said it will be joining the protests today.
Delhi-Amritsar National Highway on Monday was blocked at Shahabad in Haryana’s Kurukshetra by protesting farmers, agitating against farm laws.