Farm Bills Farmers hit streets, call for bandh protesting against India's new farm bills
Chandigarh/Amritsar/IBNS: Several farmers' organisations called for a nationwide bandh (strike) on Sept 25 as the protests against the two new farm bills- passed by the Narendra Modi government earlier this week- intensified in Punjab, Haryana and other parts of the South Asian country on Thursday, media reports said.
Farmers' organisations like Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Farmers Union (AIFU), All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM) have come on a common platform for the bandh.
The farmer leaders are planning to block rail and roads in various districts of Haryana on Friday.
Meanwhile in Punjab, the neighbouring state of Haryana, farmers started their three-day "rail roko" or "stop trains" protests on Thursday.
Now farmers in Karnataka protest against three anti farmer bills.
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 21, 2020
Today I joined Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, labour organisations and a total of 29 organisations in a joint struggle under the banner of “Aikya Horata” . pic.twitter.com/B0yy6vUQsy
The new farm bills will now allow farmers sell their produce to institutional buyers beyond the regulated wholesale market.
However, farmers and opposition leaders criticised the Centre's move stating small peasants will have little bargaining power while selling their produce to institutional buyers, running the risk of getting exploited.
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly assured that the farmers won't be deprived of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), multiple opposition parties took to streets launching widespread protests.
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