The 12-hour Bharat Bandh call given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of farmers’ unions, evoked total response in the State on Friday.
With the YSR Congress Party extending support to the bandh and the Opposition TDP, Left Party and Congress leaders hitting the road trade and commercial establishments voluntarily downed their shutters. Traffic came to a grinding halt with the AP State Road Transport Corporation officials deciding to keep the fleet of their buses confined to the depots till 1 a.m.. The Lorry Owners’ Association, which has been supporting the farmers’ agitation from the beginning, ensured their trucks remained off the roads.
In Vijayawada, the Left Parties, the Congress and others held demonstrations at the Pandit Nehru bus station and raised slogans against the “Modi-Shah” duo. They denounced their “anti-farmer and anti-worker’” policies. Communist Party of India’s State secretary K. Ramakrishna said nine Left parties had combined to make their voice heard by the Modi government at the Centre. Besides repeal of the three farm laws, they also demanded roll back of the CAA and condemned the attack on students in JNU. The Congress representatives said the BJP at the Centre was out to drive a wedge between Hindus and Muslims.
“Roll back or step down,” demanded leaders of the Left parties, trade unionists and employees of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, who formed a common platform of Aikya Karya Charana Samithi. Demanding immediate withdrawal of the Centre’s move to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, they said there was no question of going back on their agitation till the Centre reversed its decision.
The samithi had organised a massive protest earlier on March 5 also and its representatives have represented the VSP case to the Centre, besides meeting Chief Minister Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy to seek his support for the cause.
Members of the Ukku Parirakshana Samithi took out a rally, declaring their resolve to protect the steel plant under any circumstances.
In Guntur, leaders of Left Parties and Rythu Sanghams squatted in front of the bus station and raised slogans in support of the farmers protesting on Delhi borders. They said instead of strengthening the agriculture sector, it was unfortunate that the BJP-led government at the Centre was out to harass the farmers.
