NEW DELHI: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday called for a Bharat Bandh on September 25. The SKM said the move is aimed at further strengthening and expanding the farmers' agitation at Delhi borders, which completed nine months.
Addressing a press conference at Singhu border, Ashish Mittal from SKM said, "We are calling for a Bharat bandh on September 25. This is happening after a similar ‘bandh’ which was organised on the same date last year. We hope that it would be more successful than the last one as it was held during the pandemic."
Mittal also said that the all-India convention by the farmers was a success and saw the participation of representatives from 22 states. About 300 farm unions and members of organisations that work for the welfare of women, labourers, tribals as well as youth and students participated.
During the convention, discussions and deliberations took place on the farmers’ struggle that has been going on for the last nine months and it focused on making their agitation against the farm laws a pan-India movement.
“We understood how the government has been attacking the farming community with the pro-corporate laws and how by capturing the market, farmers’ produce will be bought at lower prices,” he said. Mitall further added, “The government which is on the verge of bankruptcy, is trying to recover the money from the farmers, labourers and the common man by increasing the fuel prices and prices of cooking gas.