India / Farmers to block more roads, occupy toll plazas on Dec 8: BKU member

New Delhi: Protesting farmers have called for a Bharat Bandh on December 8 , a day after the fourth rounds of talks between them and the Centre  did not yield the desirable result of scrapping the farm laws that the farmers aimed for. The farmers are holding the fifth round of talks with union ministers on Saturday.

In the two meetings held amongst the farmers on Friday, the farmers concluded that their demand to repeal the laws was “non-negotiable”. Therefore, “we have invited the entire country to come on the roads and participate in this movement from wherever they are,” said Harindar Singh Lakhowal of the Bhartiya Kisan Union.

As part of the Bharat Bandh call, farmers Tuesday are set to “block all the roads leading up to Delhi, Lakhowal said. The toll plazas will also be occupied and protests against the central government and corporate houses will intensify.

The farmer unions have also demanded to call for a special Parliament session to repeal the “hastily-passed” farm laws.

The Left parties have extended their support to farmer’s call for a Bharat Bandh Saturday and appealed to all other political parties supporting the farmer’s cause to show cooperation in the same.

A joint statement released by CPI, CPI(M) and CPM(M-L), Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc said, “The Left parties extend their solidarity with and support to the ongoing massive agitation by Kisan organisations from all over the country against the new Agri laws. The Left parties extend their support to the call given by them for a Bharat Bandh on December 8.”

The protesting farmers have been consistently appealing to farmers from all across the country to join the protestors. Besides parallel protests witnessed in parts of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu among others, Maharashtra farmers are likely to join the movement in Delhi. Farmer unions have also appealed to farmers from UP and Haryana borders to join them.

Holding demonstrations for nearly 10 days now, Delhi borders have been witnessing thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other states as routes connecting the Delhi-NCR remained closed. The Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu, Tikri, Jharoda, Jhatikara, Auchandi, Lampur, Piao, Maniyari and Mangesh continues to remain closed.

Other borders that have been affected till now include the Chilla border on the Noida link road, the Ghazipur border on NH-24 and the Badusarai border, which remains open only for light vehicles.