The Bharat Bandh call given by farmers’ unions and trade unions against the alleged anti-farmer and anti-worker policies of the Union government saw a mixed reaction on Monday.
People moved freely on their private vehicles as the public transport was off the roads, though autorickshaws plied in many parts of Kurnool and Anantapur districts. APSRTC buses remained in the depots with the State government and YSR Congress Party lending support to the bandh. With schools and colleges too closed, there was hardly any traffic on the streets in the morning, but some shops began opening after 11 a.m.
In Kurnool, the RTC bus station wore a deserted look though a handful of people waited in the hope of some buses starting by noon to travel to interior locations in the district.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader K. Prabhakar Reddy taking out a procession in the city criticised the BJP government for not resolving the concerns of farmers for more than 300 days and sought immediate rollback of the three alleged draconian laws that hurt interests of the farming community.
Activists of the CPI(M) led by V. Rambhupal in Anantapur and Rythu Sangham leader Chandrasekhar stopped the movement of buses and other vehicles. Traffic on the National Highway No.44 was thin with only a couple of vehicles moving from Anantapur to nearby villages or towns. Construction workers, who form the majority of the passengers for autorickshaws in the morning, were missing.
At Somandepalli, Hindupur, and Tadipatri, the bandh had a good effect and none of the shops were open. At Uravakonda too, the Left parties ensured all the shops kept their shutters down.
