Published 19:29 IST, December 8th 2020
'No one is supporting Bharat Bandh': Yediyurappa on impact of Bandh in Karnataka
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday claimed that no one supported the farmers' call for Bharat Bandh in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
Amid the farmers' call for observing Bharat Bandh across the country on Tuesday, which was supported by opposition parties, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday claimed that no one supported the farmers' call for Bharat Bandh in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
The Bharat Bandh which started on Tuesday morning concluded with the press conference by farmers unions in the evening. The Unions contended that the Bandh was successful. Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav stated that the bandh was observed at around 10,000 places in 25 states. However, reports state that the Bandh has evoked mixed reactions with many places across the country open as usual while several places witnessed the effect of the Bandh. Many places saw the opposition party workers forcibly shutting shops and protesting in places where the people refused to follow the Bandh.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kisan Union's RS Mansa sought permission to hold the protest at Ramlila ground in order to avoid inconvenience to people from Haryana and Delhi. Also, the farmer leaders stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has invited them for a meeting. This invitation comes ahead of the sixth round of deliberations between the farmers and the Centre that is scheduled on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Haryana CM ML Khattar met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to discuss the farmers' issue. Tomar reassured that the laws will not impact the MSP mechanism. After the meeting, Khattar took to Twitter to slam the opposition for fueling protests for political gains.
What are farmers' concerns?
Farmers are of the opinion that the laws will affect the MSP mechanism and the APMC Mandi system. Moreover, with the freeing of the farm sector, farmers think they will be left to the mercy of the private sector entities. However, the government has assured them that MSP and Mandi system will not be impacted and the laws would allow the farmers to sell their produce outside of the Mandis without the involvement of middlemen and commission agents who take away a substantial chunk of the revenue meant for farmers. However, the farmers are still free to sell their produce through the conventional medium of Mandis system. The government also contended that the Agricultural Budget and MSP has only increased during the Modi government keeping the interest of farmers in mind.
Updated 19:29 IST, December 8th 2020