CHANDIGARH: The nationwide strike, or ‘Bharat Bandh’, organised on 8 December by farmers protesting against the three farm laws was successful in Haryana. The protesting farmers along with the Opposition parties and several other organisations held symbolic ‘chakka jam’ demonstrations across the state.
Main Opposition parties including the Congress and INLD joined the farmers in the strike. As the political parties had been asked to support the protest without their identities, they joined without their party banners and slogans.
The farmers occupied all the toll plazas in the state and blocked key roads including the Hisar-Chandigarh, Delhi-Rohtak, Hisar-Rohtak, Panipat-Rohtak and Chandigarh-Delhi national highways. Many state highways were also jammed by the agitating farmers.
Major cities located on the GT Road, including Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala, also witnessed huge jams and crowds of farming communities protesting against the government. Mains roads and markets remained closed in Rohtak, Hisar, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind, Jhajjar and Kaithal too.
An incident was reported in Karnal where an effigy of the Chief Minister was set ablaze ahead of his programme slated for the day. Tents at the venue of the program were also removed by the farmers.
Several districts under the National Capital Region also reported huge crowds of people from agrarian communities and closed markets.
The blocking of key roads and highways across the state resulted in long traffic jams in many places and caused commuters inconvenience. However, as per their promise, the agitating farmers gave relaxation to ambulances passing through as well as students travelling for exams.
Gurunam Chaduni, state president of Bhartiya Kisan Unit, Haryana stated that the Bharat Bandh was entirely peaceful and non-violent and not meant to cause problems for commoners. “All sections of the society came out in support of the agrarian community,” he added.
The bandh, which was backed by the Congress, INLD and several trade unions, came a day before the sixth round of talks between the government and the farmers. Since the five rounds of meetings held so far have proved futile, the Centre has called for another one on December 9, 2020.