Bharat Bandh: Farmers’ Nationwide Protest on February 16 – Impact on Banks, Offices, and More

Bharat Bandh: Farmers’ Nationwide Protest on February 16 – Impact on Banks, Offices, and More

The central trade unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have called for a statewide Gramin Bharat Bandh strike on February 16 to put their demands before the central government. It called on all farmer organizations with similar goals to band together and participate in the central trade unions’ February 16 Gramin Bharat Bandh.

The Bharat Bandh call coincides with the arrest of hundreds of farmers who were marching from Punjab to the state’s border with Haryana, which is located around 200 kilometers from Delhi, near Ambala. To try to disperse them, Haryana security officers have exposed them to tear gas. According to a source close to the Delhi Police, if the demonstrators move forward, they will not be allowed to enter the nation’s capital.

The non-political Samyukta Kisan Morcha has called on other farmer organizations with similar goals to band together and participate in the Bharat bandh. From 6 a.m. until 4 p.m., the demonstration will take place all day.

Gramin Bharat Bandh: What’s likely to get impacted?

The statewide strike by farmer unions on Friday, February 16, is likely to keep roads, farms, rural works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), private offices, village shops, and institutions in the rural industrial and service sectors closed. According to some reports, emergency services including ambulance services, newspaper distribution, marriages, medical stores, board exam preparation for students, etc., are probably not going to be impacted during the strike.

What are farmers demanding?

Farmers are once again demonstrating in Punjab and Haryana’s streets, demanding legislation that would provide a Minimum Support Price, or MSP, for their produce. In addition, the farmers seek to guarantee social security and pensions for all workers in the formal and unofficial sectors, reinforce the MGNREGS, and bring back the previous pension plan.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SKM requested an MSP for crops based on the Swaminathan formula of C2 50 (input cost of capital 50%), a legal procurement guarantee, debt forgiveness, no increase in power rates, and the removal of smart meters.  Among other things, they wanted a raise in pensions to ₹10,000 per month, comprehensive crop insurance, and 300 free units of power for farming for both domestic use and shops.

What became of the MSP panel appointed by the government following the protests of farmers in 2021? Emergency services like ambulance rides, marriages, hospitals, schools, and so forth won’t be impacted on Friday during the Bharat Bandh.

Public intellectuals support farmers

The workers and farmers have called for a sectoral industrial strike and Grameen Bharat Bandh on February 16. Several public intellectuals and artists have endorsed this appeal in a joint statement released on Wednesday.
The joint declaration, which calls on people from all walks of life “to extend all support to this momentous action” of the farmers and the workers, was signed by 34 individuals in all. The statement was signed by a number of prominent figures, including economist Prabhat Patnaik, historian Irfan Habib, economic historian Nasir Tyabji, cultural activist Anil Chandra, and journalist P Sainath.

“On February 16, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) jointly called for an Industrial/Sectoral Strike and a Grameen Bharat Bandh. The statement said, “They have united to launch coordinated and united struggles and bring together all sections of the laboring classes that are most severely impacted by the pro-corporate, anti-people policies of the BJP-led government.” According to the statement, workers and farmers have combined to form a significantly stronger force that will oppose the government’s more aggressive attack on their lives and livelihoods as well as its poisonous community propaganda that aims to undermine any coordinated resistance. According to the statement, this force will pick up speed as it expands its campaign to the most remote regions of the nation.

Also Read: Day 3 Farmers’ Protest: Rail Blockades Today, Round 3 Talks with Centre Scheduled

‘Dilli Chalo’ protest

Punjabi farmers are setting up camp at the borders of Haryana and Punjab in Shambhu and Khanauri in an attempt to march towards Delhi to put pressure on the Center to grant their demands. According to an official, the Delhi Police has ordered around 30,000 tear gas shells in anticipation of stopping Punjabi farmers from visiting the nation’s capital as part of their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest.