Nationwide ‘Grameen Bharat Bandh’ by SKM on Friday, CTUs Back Call
An SKM statement issued earlier said the bandh was being called to “punish the pro-corporate, anti-farmer BJP Government at the Centre". (File photo)
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing protest by farmers, mainly from Punjab, for a law on minimum support price (MSP) among others, the farmers’ collective Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and backed by the joint platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) are all set for the countrywide ‘Grameen Bandh’ call on Friday (February 16).
The ‘bandh’ by farmers and workers has been called to remind the government of the unfulfilled demands of farmers, formulate a new agricultural policy, implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations as well as demands of workers, such as unemployment, scrapping of the labour codes, stop to privatisation of PSUs, bringing back the Old Pension Scheme or OPS and a minimum wage of Rs 26,000/month.
According to an SKM statement issued earlier, the bandh is being called to “punish the pro-corporate, anti-farmer BJP Government at the Centre which has formulated and implemented policies to deliberately worsen the economic condition of farmers to aid and abet grabbing of land of farmers and putting them out of farming by corporates who can then take control of crop production and food supply chain and monopolise it for profiteering and further oppressing common people.”
In the ’Grameen Bandh’ from 6 a.m to 4 p.m, farmers and workers plan to hold ‘chakka jams’ on highways. The SKM and CTUs have called upon all sections of the workforce to support the call, such as road transport workers, industrial workers, anaj mandis or wholesale grain markets, forest workers, coffee workers, among others.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, which are spearheading the protest by farmers on MSP, has said it was backing the countrywide ‘Grameen Bandh’ and urged all like-minded farmer organisations to unite and take part in it on February 16.
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