Farmers organisations and trade unions have called for a Bharat Bandh on Monday during which they claim will impact all sectors including banks, train and road transport but exclude medical emergency services. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) said the Bandh has received support from all Opposition parties and is targeted at “anti-people” reform measures such as the farm laws, labour codes, Asset Monetisation Pipeline etc.
“Besides the Left parties, the RJD and NCP have put out statements in support of the Bharat Bandh,” the SKM said. Kerala's ruling LDF has supported the bandh. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Telugu Desam Party, DMK and others have also extended their support, the SKM said. Various sectoral unions and federations such as the All India Bank Officers Confederation have also decided to join the bandh. The farmers and trade unions have given calls to block rail and road traffic on Monday.
The Congress said every worker of the party will support the bandh. Party spokesman Gaurav Vallabh said the agriculture sector of our country got a permanent dent in the last seven years. “There is a GST on tractors, GST on pesticides, GST on seeds, GST on farm equipments, you are indirectly taxing the agriculture and what is the result of all these changes- the result is this, as per the Situation Assessment Survey of Government of India, a farmer on an average is earning ₹ 27 per day. The result is this, that in 2012-13, a farmer having a debt on an average of ₹ 47,000, which got increased to ₹ 74,121 in the year 2018-19, this is the result. That is the reason, we support this Bandh,” Vallabh said. The Left parties said the Modi government continues to remain obdurate and is refusing to engage with struggling kisans through talks.
The CTUs said they will join the Bandh to protest against the National Monetisation Pipeline’ (NMP) and the move to sell 100 profit making PSUs. The CTUs said it does not require deep economic knowledge to know that Government’s ability to provide Social Security to people will be curtailed due to these steps. "It also does not require deep economic knowledge to know that Government can fill its coffers by taxing the rich and super-rich in India. But the Government refuses to tax their friends, rather their masters-- the rich and the super-rich," the CTUs said in a statement.
The SKM said on September 27, from 6 am to 4 pm, everything would be closed throughout the country: all government and private offices, all educational and other institutions, all shops, industries and commercial establishments, all public events and functions. "Public and private transport shall also come to a halt during this period," the SKM said.