Bharat Bandh' draws peasantry, workers close to masses

MUMBAI: The 'Bharat Bandh' call given by farmers' organisations and national opposition parties evoked a good response in Maharashtra on Tuesday, especially in rural and semi-rural centres, and for the first time drew the peasantry and working classes close to the masses, organisers said.

While all agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) across the state remained deserted without conducting any transactions in the morning, shops and commercial establishments, particularly in cities and towns, remained largely unaffected as the retailers organisations have kept off the shutdown.

The Bharat Bandh was supported by the ruling MahaVikasAghadi allies Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Congress, as well as the Samajwadi Party, BahujanVikasAghadi, most farmers parties, both independent or affiliated to political parties, Dalit parties, the CPI, the CPI-M and other Leftist parties, several students organisations and students of major academic institutions, the Trade Unions Joint Action Committee with scores of trade unions headed by VishwasUtagi, including all bank unions in the state, besides many other big and small groups with employees in the trade and commerce sectors.

Many towns in Konkan districts of Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Sindhudurg, besides the farming centres in Marathwada, north and western Maharashtra and Vidarbha wholeheartedly joined the shutdown though essential services were functioning normally.

Road blockades were held in Thane, Palghar, Solapur, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and certain other districts which were later dispersed by the police and security forces.

Though a majority of the wholesale markets across the state remained shut, retail vegetable markets and local vendors were working in the morning in some cities, and State Transport buses operated only critical services on certain routes, besides other essential vehicles.

Shiv Sena leaders Kishore Tiwari, Sena Minister Abdul Sattar, SSS leader RajuShetti, NCP leaders JayantPatil, Congress leader BalasahebThorat, All India KisanSabha leaders Ashok Dhawale and AjitNawale, TUJAC ConvenorUtagi, CPI-CPM leaders termed the shutdown as "successful".

Thorat said that the agitation has "become a mass movement" with huge participation by the common people expressing their outrage at the blatant manner in which the the BJP is favouring a handful of industrialists.

Utagi termed it as "a rare and successful effort towards bringing the farmers and working classes closer to the masses for the common agenda of opposing the 3 black farm laws of the BJP government".

Leading an agitation, Minister of State OmprakashBabaraoKadu, alias BachuKadu called the 3 new farm laws as a "dacoity" of the farmers by BharatiyaJanata Party-led Central government and demanded its repeal. (IANS)

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