Bandh was succesful:SKM, No impact in Mumbai-Police

The Bharat Bandh , call given by the Sanyukta Kisan Morch(SKM) to mark the first anniversary of the Centre's three controversial farm laws getting Presidential nod, got a mixed response on Monday. Though, Morcha in a statement said, "The Bharat Bandh has received an unprecedented response so far, beyond anyone's expectations. Complete shut-down has been reported in states like Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Bihar, where all kinds of institutions, markets and transport have been closed. The call for Bharat Bandh has received extensive support in Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, TN, Karnataka and MP.  As per reports Normal life was hit as farmers blocked highways, roads and squatted on railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana. In Delhi and other cities of NCR saw a mixed response. Ofiice goers and public face massive jam in the morning. Police made elaborate arrangements to deal with the situation. 

The call for the bandh have been supported by major opposition parties including the Congress, BSP, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, Left parties and Swaraj India. In Delhi, the auto and taxi unions as well as several traders' bodies extended only "in-principle support" to Bharat Bandh and decided not to join the strike, saying their livelihood has already been hit hard due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. Farmers mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting on the borders of the national capital since November 2020.

There was no impact of Bharat bandh in Mumbai. Shops, commercial establishments and local transport were operating as usual. The police also said that they did not deploy an extra security force at key junctions and roads.  Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) national president Bhanu Pratap Singh has opposed the Bandh. He said that the 10-hour Bharat Bandh will affect the country’s economy as he launched a sharp attack on another farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. Bhanu Pratap alleged that Tikait and others want to follow the footsteps of the Taliban by continuing similar activities back in India. “They call themselves ‘Kisan neta' and then announce Bharat Bandh, which affects the economy and farmers. How does it even benefit anyone?” Singh alleged that the farmer groups protesting at borders of the national capital such as Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri were “Congress brought and Congress sent”. 
In Kerala, Bharat Bandh was succesful.Protesters of several trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress, Centre of Indian Trade Unions and All India Trade Union Congress form a human chain in Kochi to support the call for Bharat Bandh against the three farm laws. Shops and business establishments were closed. As per media reports the train operations in Delhi and the nearby areas have been affected as hundreds of farmers on Monday has gathered at the railway tracks in the wake of a 10-hour Bharat Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). According to the Northern Railway, the rail operations in Delhi, Ambala and Firozepur divisions were impacted by people sitting on tracks.About 25 trains have been affected due to the Bharat Bandh.These include Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab, New Delhi-Moga Express, Delhi-Payhajot Express, Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Katra, and Amritsar Shatabdi.

In Bihar, Highways, roads and railway tracks were blocked in several places across the state  as Bharat Bandh evoked a mixed response.RJD and Congress workers blocked roads in Patna, Bhojpur, Lakhisarai, Jahanabad, East Champaran, Begusarai, Madhepura and Nalanda districts, affecting the movement of the traffic.Markets were shut and public transport stayed off the roads as the Bharat Bandh hit normal life in Odisha.Supporters of the shutdown, including members of Congress and the Left parties, picketed at important junctions across the state.Roads were blocked at different places in Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Rayagada and Subarnapur, among others. In Tamil Nadu, farmer bodies and Left parties staged protests in several parts of the state.