International Desk: The movement of Indian farmers to demand a fair price for their crops shows no signs of slowing down. On Friday (February 16), several farmers’ organizations called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’.
The government has imposed Section 144 in Delhi and the National Capital Region to prevent farmers from entering. Amidst the bandh program, the farmers have planned to hold a protest march in New Delhi with their demands. However, the organizers called on the farmers to block all agricultural activities across the country from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Senior leaders of nine central trade unions will hold a joint protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 21 demands. Their demands include a guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, a minimum pension, and minimum wages.
Meanwhile, farmer-police clashes continue along the Punjab-Haryana border. Meanwhile, the farmers have announced they will continue their march in Delhi.
The farmer movement started in India on February 13. Hundreds of thousands of farmers left for Delhi in a tractor rally from Punjab. But the police stopped them at the Shambhu border. The agitating farmers have been clashing with them for four days. Farmers tried to break the barricade and enter Haryana. But the police are trying to disperse the crowd of farmers by using tear gas and water cannons.
