WEB DESK
All major opposition parties including Congress, TRS, DMK and the AAP have extended support to the Bharat Bandh on December 8 called by farmer unions which have been protesting on Delhi’s borders for last 11 days demanding repeal of the Centre’s new agri-marketing laws.
The Trinamool Congress, RJD and the Left parties, besides a joint platform of 10 central trade unions, had on Saturday backed the countrywide strike.
NCP chief and former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar warned the Centre that if the deadlock continues, the agitation will not be limited to Delhi and people from across the country will stand by the protesting farmers. Expressing the Congress’ “wholehearted” support to the strike call, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said it will hold protests that day at all district and state headquarters in solidarity with the demands of the farmers.
Addressing the media at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, he said former party chief Rahul Gandhi, through tractor rallies, signature campaigns and Kisaan rallies, has been raising the party’s voice in support of the farmers. “All our district headquarters and Pradesh headquarters will participate in this bandh. They will hold demonstrations and ensure that the bandh is successful,” Khera said.
TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the party rank and file would actively participate in the bandh to ensure it was a success, according to an official statement. Rao justified the support, stating that the farmers are legally agitating against the farm bills enacted in September and recalled his party’s opposition to the legislation in Parliament.
The DMK-led opposition bloc in Tamil Nadu too extended support to the strike, saying the farmers’ demand for repealing legislation was “totally justified.” DMK Chief M K Stalin had led a state-wide protest on Saturday against the farm laws. In a statement, Stalin, TNCC chief KS Alagiri, MDMK founder Vaiko and Left leaders, among other DMK allies, said the ongoing protest outside Delhi by farmers was growing every day and drawing global attention.
The grouping appealed to farmer unions, traders’ bodies, government employees’ associations, labour unions and others in the state to extend “grand support” to the bandh and make it a success on Tuesday. Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) also extended support to the protest by farmers.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that all AAP workers across the country will join the nationwide strike and appealed to all citizens to support the farmers. “The Aam Aadmi Party fully supports the Bharat Bandh’ call made by farmers on December 8. AAP workers across the country will support it peacefully. There is an appeal to all countrymen that everyone should support the farmers and participate in it,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Several political parties have come out in support of the ‘Bharat Bandh’ on December 8 called by farmer unions which have been protesting on Delhi’s borders for 11 days demanding repeal of the Centre’s new agri-marketing laws.
The Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Left parties had earlier extended their support to the call for the December 8 nation-wide strike, given by the farmers who are protesting against the farm laws.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Congress, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) joined the other opposition parties in extending support to the ‘Bharat Bandh’, in addition to a joint platform of ten central trade unions and transport and trade associations from over 12 states.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.427.1_en.html#goog_1813482724PlayvolumeTruvid00:54Ad
Here is the complete list of political parties backing the countrywide strike:
• Indian National Congress
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
• People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) — consisting of the National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and multiple mainstream regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML)
• Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)
• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
• Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
• Samajwadi Party (SP)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
• Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)
• All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
• Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
In a press statement published on Sunday (December 6), the chiefs of various political parties extended their solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ protest and supported their call for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on December 8.