The CPI (M) party on Tuesday participated in large numbers in the Bharat Bandh, in solidarity with the protesting farmers against the new farm laws. The party activists took to the roads in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Guntur, Vizianagaram, Ongole, Srikakulam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Kakinada and Prakasam and other regions raising slogans against the BJP-led union government.
Interestingly, while the ruling YSRCP party had supported the Bill in parliament ensuring that the Bill turned into a law, they also supported the national strike. Agriculture Minister Korasala Kannababu on Monday through a press note, appealed to the protestors to conclude their strike by 1 pm, so that they don’t cause inconvenience to the public.
The state government issued directions to all its offices including the RTC bus service to function only from 1 pm in solidarity with the farmers protesting in Delhi.
Educational institutions also remained shut on Tuesday, in view of the strike. The Minister hoped that the farmers and the Union government could find an amicable solution to the crisis.
Read: Hundreds gather in Bengaluru to support shutdown over farm laws
Defending the YSRCP’s support to the farm bills in the Parliament, Kannababu, said that the party extended conditional support to the farm Bills after assurance of Minimum Selling Price (MSP) to farmers.
However, the opposition party, TDP said that the YSRCP did not raise any issue regarding the MSP in Parliament. “Vijay Sai Reddy, the Parliament leader of YSRCP nowhere mentioned about providing MSP to the farmers. They neither proposed any amendments to the Bill,” TDP spokesperson Pattabhi Ram said. He claimed that the TDP gave support to the Bill after proposing amendments.
A national strike was called on Tuesday by several farmers organizations. Farmers particularly Punjab and Haryana have laid siege to the roads in Delhi, demanding the Union government to repeal the controversial laws.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring state of Telangana, called for a bandh in support of the agitating farmers. Ministers KT Rama Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Niranjan Reddy, Nizamabad MLC and daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, K Kavitha participated in the protest bringing a dejavu of the protests during the Telangana statehood movement.