Bharat Bandh: one year of 3 farm laws; Kerala shuts down on tourism day, Metros unaffected
The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Bharat Bandh has the support of the Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, the Left parties, the DMK and more.
The Bharat Bandh called by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) today to mark the first anniversary of passing of the three controversial farm laws in Parliament is currently on across the country.
The protest has the support of the Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, the Left parties, the DMK and more. While in the rest of the country, the bandh has assumed the form of a symbolic protest, in states like Kerala where the Left parties and the Congress and its allies have a strong presence, the Bharat bandh has taken the shape of a complete shutdown. Business establishments and public transport are not functioning.
With public transport off the roads, the people have decided to stay back at their homes, bringing back the memories of a lockdown. The ‘Bharat bandh’ on Monday which started at 6 a.m. will run through 4 p.m. today.
Tourism day shutdown in Kerala
For Kerala, the shutdown on an important day like World Tourism Day could be seen as a deterrent to the state government’s efforts to put tourism back on the rails after it had been impacted by the COVID-19 induced restrictions for a long time. The complete shutdown is said to be sending a wrong message to the international tourists who are currently in Kerala after the sector opened up after a very long gap.
Tourism sector players, who did not want to be named, told Digpu News that the complete shutdown on tourism day is a cruel joke played on travellers who have arrived on a visit to ‘God’s Own Country’ with a lot of expectations.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha national spokesperson has called upon the people not to come out of their houses before 4 pm today, and express solidarity with the Bharat Bandh. Pointing out that the Union government has been trampling upon farmers’ interests, he added that the government has proved that it is one that functions for the corporate houses.
Metros see normal life
People in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, who spoke to Digpu news said that life has not been affected by the Bharat Bandh in the magnitude they thought it actually would. Transport has not been affected, and offices are functional. However, most of them said that they are with the farmers and that they expressed solidarity with the farmers’ agitation.
It remains to be seen whether the government at the Centre would take into account the protests launched by the farmers and the support it has garnered from people across all sectors.
