The ‘Bharat Bandh’ held by farmers’ organisations received moderate response in the temple city of Tirupati on Tuesday. The sentiment was scarcely felt in the predominantly-urban localities, though political parties left no stone unturned to ensure its success.
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With the State government extending tacit support till lunch hour, many government offices remained closed till 1 p.m. Most of the APSRTC buses were also confined to bus stations, but one or two that ventured out were stopped by party activists. Congress leaders led by State General Secretary D. Rambhupal Reddy and AICC member Penubala Chandrasekhar squatted in front of buses to prevent them from plying on the roads. In a separate protest, CWC member Chinta Mohan flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘anti-farmer’ and accused the YSR Congress and the TDP of being hand in glove with the centre in supporting the farm bills. Hailing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of having initiated pro-farmer reforms, Dr. Mohan opined that the present laws would only benefit the corporate giants. Party workers led by AICC member and Tirupati constituency in-charge Prameela Kidambi staged demonstration at Rajiv Gandhi circle.
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Members of AISF and AIYF blocked the Chennai-Bangalore highway at Tanapalle cross on the city outskirts. The major junction witnessed traffic jam for a while before the traffic cops took a plunge to restore normalcy. The CPI activists roamed around the city in the forenoon to make the Bandh a success. Though they tried to close the commercial outlets, there was lukewarm response from the public. With a posse of policemen on their heels, they could hardly resort to bullying the retailers.